Death of coal mine worker tied to operator's failures
Source: AP
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) An underground coal mine worker in West Virginia died after an incident in January because the operator of the mine did not have rules in place to prevent such accidents, a federal review has concluded.
The Department of Labors Mine Safety and Health Administration tied the death of 38-year-old shuttle car operator Justin Lafferty to the mine operators failure to ensure there was safe passage for underground haulers. The mine is run by Aracoma Coal Co. Inc. in southern Logan County.
Lafferty died on Feb. 21 after sustaining injuries in a Jan. 22 crash. He was injured when another shuttle car struck the vehicle he was operating.
The accident occurred because the mine operator did not have policies or procedures in place to assure safe underground haulage, the report concluded.
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