COAL MINE FATALITY - On Monday, October 30, at about 1:25 p.m.,
an independent contractor employee was fatally injured while clear cutting a
proposed power line right of way. A small tree had been cut earlier in the shift
and fell into a larger tree, entangling both trees' branches together. Another
employee had notched the bottom side of the larger tree and cut half way through
the left side of the tree before fouling the chain saw. The victim took another
chain saw and finished cutting the larger tree to fall it downhill. As the larger
tree began to fall, the small tree hung in the branches of the larger tree causing
the smaller tree, to lift up. As the smaller tree lifted and swung downhill, it
struck the victim on the right side of the head causing him to fall downhill into
the path of the falling trees. The victim was fatally crushed between the large
tree and the ground.
This is the 38th coal mine fatality in 1995. As of October 30 last year there had
been 37 fatalities. This death is the seventh classified as MACHINERY in 1995.
Photograph of the accident scene
For more information:
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report [FTL95C38]
