COAL MINE FATALITY - On Wednesday, January 24, 1996, an employee of a
coal company whose occupation was a riverman, was assisting a towboat operator with the
capture of a loaded barge at the coal company's river load-out facility. Working from the
bow of the towboat, the river man was throwing a line onto the timberhead of the coal barge,
when he fell forward into the water between the towboat and the coal barge and sustained
fatal crushing injuries.
This is the third coal mine fatality in 1996. As of January 24 of last year, there had
been 3 fatalities. This death is the first classified as SLIP OR FALL OF PERSON in 1996.
Plan view of the accident site
For more information: 
MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report [FTL96C03]
