A coal truck driver was killed Saturday in a haulage accident near the upper end of Cabin Creek while working at a Massey Energy surface mine.
The Charleston Gazette reports the unidentified man was killed when his runaway truck overturned at about 5:35 p.m. Saturday. The accident took place on Carbon Road, a fork of Cabin Creek Road, a dispatcher with the Kanawha County 911 center said.
Brake failure and icy road conditions may have contributed to the accident, Amy Louviere, a spokeswoman for the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, said Sunday. Firefighters extricated the victim from his cab, Louviere said in a news release.
The man worked for Medford Trucking, a contractor for Massey subsidiary Elk Run Coal Co.'s Republic Energy. Two other Medford Trucking drivers witnessed the accident, Massey said.
Medford Trucking lost another driver on a Massey mine haul road nearly two years ago.
In February 2009, William Wade, 70, of Bloomingrose lost control of his truck on a haul road, also at a Republic Energy mine in eastern Kanawha County.
An MSHA spokeswoman said Wade was traveling downhill on a paved road when he drove up a short embankment and flipped over. The man was ejected from the truck and died while he was pinned under the cab, the spokeswoman said.
State regulators with the Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training later cited Medford Energy in connection with the accident. Investigators said a brake hose had been bypassed on Wade's truck, four of the six brake drums were worn out, and company employees apparently used inspection forms that did not cover all required items.
If you or someone you know has been seriously injured or killed in a truck accident, contact the West Virginia Truck Accident Attorneys of Colombo & Stuhr PLLC at 800-860-1414.
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