Legal News for Kentucky Employment Attorneys. Rescue crews discovered the bodies of the two men killed in an unfortunate roof collapse at a Kentucky coal mine.
News for Kentucky employment lawyers- Just weeks after deadly W.V. coal mine explosion, two coal miners suffered fatal injuries in roof collapse at Webster County Coal mine in Nebo, Kentucky.
Nebo, KY—Two coal miners were tragically killed after a rock fall, otherwise regarded as a roof collapse, occurred at an underground coal mine in Nebo, Kentucky Wednesday, April 28, 2010. The bodies of the miners were retrieved Thursday, approximately four miles inside the Webster County Coal Dotiki Mine No. 4. The accident comes only a few weeks after a deadly coal mine explosion took the lives of 29 workers in West Virginia, which subsequently prompted Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to step up the enforcement of mine safety regulations, according to information provided by USA Today.
While details into the actual mine accident were scarce, reports stated two men escaped and two men became trapped in the rubble of Wednesday’s roof collapse. Rescue crews finally recovered the miners on Thursday; however, they had already succumbed to severe injuries sustained in the rock fall. The men were identified as 27-year-old Justin Travis and 28-year-old Michael Carter.
Reports stated the mine, under operation by Webster County Coal, had a history of roof collapses, leading MSHA officials to issue the Dotiki Mine 17 citations, amounting to $15,700 in penalties, since January 2009. The citations were issued with regard to the mine operator’s failure to sufficiently secure ceilings and walls from falling rock and coal, thus failing to ensure safety amongst employees.
MSHA records indicate there were approximately 2,500 mining fatalities since 1983, 25 percent of which were caused by roof collapses. Reports also noted mines have been plagued with an average of approximately 1,000 ceiling collapses and 40 explosions annually.
A full investigation into Wednesday’s deadly coal mine roof collapse is expected to be underway.
Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan- Legal News for Kentucky Employment Lawyers.