Coal Miner Dies after Three-Story Fall

A coal miner died working in a West Virginia processing plant near Uneeda. According to the State Journal, the victim is the eighth coal miner to die on the job this year and the second in West Virginia. The fatal accident occurred when the man fell three stories near an elevator in the plant. The 57-year-old worker had nearly 40 years of mining experience and had been working at the processing plant for 13 years. The incident is being investigated and the other miners were pulled from the mine. The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported that the facility last had a fatality in 2002. The mine so far has reported 19 worker injuries and 27 citations from MSHA.
According to MSHA, there are more than 14,000 mines operating in the United States employing more than 360,000 workers. In 2010, there were 71 deaths and 8,525 injuries in the mining industry nationwide. The MSHA also issued 171,373 citations during the same year.
The 2006 Mine Act provides workers in this industry some protections on the job. The law says mine operators are required to provide a safe work environment and failure to do so may not only result in monetary fines, but also criminal sanctions against operators who violate safety and health standards. Working underground provides many unique risks and employers are responsible to make sure workers are trained and equipped with the proper safety gear. In the event of an injury accident, a worker may be able to file a civil case against the negligent party.
Some of the most common mining injuries include being crushed by equipment, hit by falling rocks, falls, back injuries, breathing issues as well as hydraulic oil or fluid injection injuries, which can be extremely serious. A victim injured in a workplace accident may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical bills and lost wages. In addition, cases that involve third-party negligence may mean additional compensation for the victim if a civil lawsuit is filed. Third parties may include, but are not limited to, general contractors, sub-contractors, property owners, manufacturers of defective products, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a work-related accident, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recovered $3,375,576 for a construction worker who was injured on the job – one of the highest construction case settlements in New York in 2010. Please contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: The State Journal