Investigators from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration have completed an investigation into a fatal mining accident in Raleigh County from February.
The accident on February 28th claimed the life of Billy Stalker, 46, who was the head of a contracted construction crew. The crew was hired to install main line J-Seals in a section of Marfork Coal Company’s Black Eagle Mine near Pettus, W.Va. in Raleigh County.
According to the final investigative report, Stalker led the crew which consisted of he and two other employees of Wright Concrete Underground LLC of Pikeville, Ky. Two other employees of Marfork Coal, including an EMT, were also working on the same job.
During the incident, Stalker had been running a jackhammer on the mine floor and stopped to hand off the job to another individual while he took a break to rest. Only feet away from his co-worker, Stalker leaned against the mine rib which gave way unexpectedly and a large rock rolled out on top of Stalker.
The co-workers immediately sprang into action to get the rock off of him and began the process of transporting him to the surface. Life saving measures, including CPR, were used by the other miners as he was transported out and then picked up by an EMS crew who delivered him to the hospital. He was dead on arrival at Raleigh General Hospital.
The official report blamed the coal operator for the fatal injuries.
“The accident occurred because the mine operator did not: 1) support or otherwise control the rib to protect miners, and 2) conduct adequate preshift examinations,” wrote the investigator in the final report.
MSHA issued two orders to Marfork for the violations.