COAL MINE FATALITY - On Thursday May 11, 1995, truck driver was fatally injured when the 85 ton truck he was driving traveled over a berm on an elevated haulage road. The loaded truck traveled straight down a 35 to 40 degree slope, struck a large tree, overturned, and rolled several times before coming to a stop 620 feet below the haulage road. The truck driver was thrown from the vehicle during the accident. Investigators observed that the truck's wheels had been riding (rubbing) the lower portion of the berm for a distance of 315 feet. The haulage road which was generally straight but the location where the truck traveled over the berm had a slight dip in the roadway. The truck appeared to have passed over the berm at nearly a 90 degree angle to the haulage road.
This is the 14th coal mine fatality in 1995. As of May 11 last year there had been 18 fatalities. This death is the seventh classified as POWERED HAULAGE in 1995.
Line drawing of the accident scene
For more information:
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report [FTL95C14]
