Coal Miner Death Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Coal Miner Died After Being Pinned Beneath Mantrip

A coal miner who died last week at Century Mining-Longview Mine in Barbour County was pinned beneath a mantrip.

The man, 62-year-old Cecil Barker, of Philippi, was working as a surveyor when the battery powered personnel carrier [mantrip] he was traveling on underground, overturned.

Barker’s cause of death was released in a preliminary accident report released Monday by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

The report states that one of two other miners riding on the mantrip accidentally activated the emergency stop. The action caused the vehicle to drift backwards down a grade and to overturn, pinning Barker beneath.

The two other miners sustained minor injuries in the accident.

According to the report, Barker, who had 18 years of mining experience, was not riding in a designated seating area. Barker’s death is the second coal mining fatality in West Virginia this year.

In February, 73-year-old William Mapes, of Kentucky, was killed while operating a bulldozer at the Appalachian Resource West Virginia’s Grapevine South Surface Mine in Mingo County.

Coal Miner Fatally Injured In Barbour County

Cecil Barker, 62, of Philippi, was traveling underground on a mantrip to survey the mining section when the vehicle wrecked.

On Wednesday at approximately 8:45 a.m., a man was fatally injured while working at Century Mining’s Longview Mine in Barbour County.

Cecil Barker, 62, of Philippi, was traveling underground on a mantrip to survey the mining section when the vehicle wrecked.

Barker, who had 18 years of mining experience, was riding with two other surveyors who sustained minor injuries.

Gov. Jim Justice learned about the incident during his weekly briefing.

“These people get their dinner buckets, they go thousands of feet underground,” Justice said. “In many cases the height of the coal is not as high as this desk I’m sitting at.”

This is the second coal mining fatality this year. In February, 73-year-old William Mapes, of Freeburn, Kentucky, died when he was ejected from the bulldozer he was operating at the Appalachian Resource West Virginia’s Grapevine South Surface Mine in Mingo County.

Justice, who made his wealth off coal mining, also took the news of Barker’s death as an opportunity to call out anyone who thinks West Virginia should move away from coal.

“For all of us, for all of this nation, for all that has happened through all the wars, for all of us,” Justice said. “And absolutely, without any question whatsoever, whether it be for coal for making electricity, or coal for making steel, today anybody that believes that this nation can do without coal today is an idiot. A blooming idiot.”

Second W.Va. Coal Miner Dies On The Job In Less Than 2 Weeks

Kris Ball, 34, of Hart, died at the Coalburg Tunnel Mine in Kanawha County, according to Gov. Jim Justice. The mine is owned by Blackhawk Mining Company.

A coal miner was killed on Thursday in Kanawha County, the second mine fatality in West Virginia in less than two weeks.

Kris Ball, 34, of Hart, died at the Coalburg Tunnel Mine in Kanawha County, according to Gov. Jim Justice. The mine is owned by Blackhawk Mining Company.

The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will issue a preliminary report on Ball’s death in the next several days.

Ball’s death follows that of William Richards on Aug. 17 at the Tunnel Ridge Mine in Ohio County.

Including Ball and Richards, four coal miners have been killed on the job in West Virginia this year, according to MSHA records. Nine have died nationwide. Ten coal miners were killed last year.

In 2020, as demand for coal collapsed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, five miners were killed, the lowest number on record since 1900.

Coal Miner Killed In Accident In Southern W.Va.

A coal miner died Monday in an accident in southern West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said.

Steven H. Hively, 52, of Philippi, was pinned by an air drill at Ramaco Resources’ Berwind Mine in McDowell County, Justice said in a news release.

Hively had 20 years of underground mining experience.

Ramaco Resources is a based in Lexington, Kentucky.

It’s the fourth reported fatality at a U.S. mine this year. West Virginia had two of those deaths and the others were in Indiana and Kentucky.

Coal Miner Dies In Fall In West Virginia

A West Virginia coal miner died Friday in a fall in the state’s Northern Panhandle, Gov. Jim Justice said.

The death of 44-year-old Jeffrey A. Phillips is at least the third in the U.S. coal mining industry already this year. Other deaths have occurred this month in Indiana and Kentucky, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Phillips worked for contractor NextGen Industrial Services. The governor’s office said in a statement that Phillips fell while working above a beltline in the prep plant of an Ohio County Coal Co. mine in the Marshall County community of Benwood.

Benwood Police Chief Frank Longwell said the worker was not wearing a body harness and fell about 30 feet, The Wheeling Intelligencer and News-Register reported. The mine was down for maintenance and was not operating at the time.

The mine is operated by American Consolidated Natural Resources Holdings Inc. of St. Clairsville, Ohio. The company is the largest privately owned U.S. coal operator. It emerged from federal bankruptcy protection in 2020 and was formerly known as Murray Energy Holdings.

“Any time we lose one of our brave and important West Virginia coal miners, it’s a terrible thing,” said Justice in a news release. “Cathy and I are heartbroken for his loved ones and fellow miners. We ask that all West Virginians join us in keeping this man and his family in your prayers during this difficult time. We’d also ask you to remember and appreciate everyone who does this important work. We should never take for granted the strength and selflessness that it takes to go underground to keep the lights on for the people across our state and our nation.”

West Virginia Coal Miner Dies In Underground Accident

A coal miner died Wednesday in a workplace accident in northern West Virginia, the governor’s office said.

Trenten J. Dille, 26, of Littleton, died while working in the underground section of a Marion County Coal Resources mine, the governor’s office said in a statement.

Preliminary information indicates the edge or rib of a coal support pillar fell and struck Dille, a section foreman, the statement said.

The accident is being investigated by the state Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training. It is the third fatality involving a U.S. coal mine this year.

“It is an absolute tragedy to lose this hard-working, dedicated young man,” Gov. Jim Justice said in the statement.

The mine is operated by American Consolidated Natural Resources Holdings Inc. of St. Clairsville, Ohio. The company is the largest privately owned U.S. coal operator. It emerged from federal bankruptcy protection last year and was formerly known as Murray Energy Holdings.