What Types of Injuries Happen in Coal Mining Accidents?

Coal miners face many risks of injury from mining activities such as drilling, blasting, operating heavy machinery, working in tight spaces, moving heavy loads, and exposure to dust and toxic chemicals. Many families in Kentucky know all too well that coal mining accidents can cause catastrophic injury and death.

If you have been injured in a Kentucky coal mine, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits that pay your medical expenses and replace a portion of lost wages. Sometimes it takes Kentucky Courage to hold the coal mine owners accountable for proper workers’ compensation benefits. Kentucky coal miners have courage, and so do our attorneys.

The Kentucky workers’ compensation lawyers at Morgan Collins Yeast & Salyer have the experience and determination to fight for the workers’ compensation benefits available by law to injured miners and their families. We handle initial workers’ comp claims as well as appeals of denied claims.

Don’t let a workplace injury break your back. A Kentucky worker deserves a Kentucky fighter. We’re Kentuckians too, and we know the value of hard work. That’s why we’ve fought for and won over $300 million in compensation for injured workers like you. Got hurt on the job? Don’t wait. This mountain is too steep to climb alone. Let us be your guide. Call us now at 877-809-5352 or schedule your free consultation online, and let’s get you the compensation you deserve.

Most Recent Statistics of Mining Accidents

The coal mining industry in Kentucky employs more than 4,400 people as of mid-2023, with more than 2,750 working underground and about 940 working in surface mines. In 2023, The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reported one mining death in Kentucky. On June 9, 2023, a truck driver died when he was struck by an excavator bucket in Morgan County. The list of mining accidents includes two coal mining deaths in Kentucky in 2022, according to a Spectrum News report.

Many more miners sustain injuries in Kentucky coal mine accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured in a coal mining accident, you may be eligible for paid medical care and wage replacement benefits to provide some weekly income while you are unable to work. Contact an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer to get a clear explanation of your legal options.

A non-fatal workplace injury might lead to permanent disability or impairment. Miners need all of the medical benefits and financial support available to them.

Most Common Causes of Mining Accidents and Injuries

1. Roof Collapse. A mine collapse can be caused by movement of the earth due to mining activity or naturally occurring seismic activity, planned explosions, uncontrolled explosions of gas or coal dust, or poor structural support of mine ceilings. A collapse can injure or kill miners struck by falling rocks, and timbers and can trap miners who eventually die from injury or suffocation.
2. Fire and Explosion. Fire in a mine can cause burn injuries or explosions. A fire in an underground mine is more likely to cause death by asphyxiation or smoke inhalation. The major causes of fires in coal mines are electrical arcing or sparks, open flame, ignition of gas, explosives, spontaneous ignition of coal dust, or methane seeping from layers of coal. Rock and debris sent flying by an explosion can strike a miner and cause blunt-force trauma.
3. Toxic Gas Inhalation. Methane is the principal combustible gas found in coal mines. In addition, miners are also exposed to carbon monoxide, nitrogen, hydrogen, and other hydrocarbons, which can be toxic as well as combustible. For example, inhaling carbon monoxide reduces the capacity of the blood to carry sufficient oxygen, which deprives the brain and body tissues of the oxygen needed for normal functioning. Hydrogen sulfide in very small amounts will cause irritation of the respiratory passages, including the lungs, leading to rapid unconsciousness, cessation of respiration, and death.
4. Mining machinery and Tool Accidents. Mining machines and tools designed to tear into walls of coal can easily rip flesh and break bones. Machine and tool accidents happen when tools and machinery are used improperly or malfunction, such as unanticipated restarts during attempts to troubleshoot, repair, and restart nonworking machines or tools.
5. Flooding. When an underground mine floods, miners can drown or suffer near-drowning or hypothermia as tunnels fill. Miners who are stranded behind flooded sections of the mine may die before rescue is possible. Mines flood when open spaces fill with groundwater, surface water, or rain because drainage wells or poorly planned explosions cause an inrush of groundwater.
6. Haulage Accidents. Heavy loads that slip, fall, or overturn while being moved can cause broken bones and other crush injuries when miners are hit by loose material and/or overturned carriers.
7. Slip and Fall Accidents. Injuries caused by slipping, tripping, and falling are common to all job sites. Slip and fall accidents can cause strains and sprains, torn ligaments, joint injuries, broken bones, and traumatic brain injuries. Coal miners are more susceptible to slip-and-fall accidents because they work on surfaces that are wet and slippery, and they climb up to and down from elevated surfaces.

Mining Safety and Investigating Coal Mining Accidents

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (Mine Act) requires that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration inspect all mines to ensure safe work conditions for miners. In addition to setting standards for preventing unsafe and unhealthy conditions, the regulations establish requirements for:

• Training programs that meet the requirements of the Mine Act.
• Obtaining approval for certain equipment used in gassy underground mines.
• Immediate notification by the mine operator of mine accidents, injuries, and illnesses.

Kentucky law (KRS 352.180) requires that any occupational injury suffered by a miner or other employee is to be reported in writing to the Division of Mine Safety (DMS) within 10 business days. Mining accidents are to be reported to DMS immediately if they cause:

• Death
• Injury
• Inundation of the mine by liquid or gas
• Ignition or explosion of gas or dust, or blasting agent or explosive
• Fire lasting more than 10 minutes underground or 30 minutes in a surface mine
• Roof fall
• Disruptive rock or coal outburst
• Damage to hoisting equipment in a shaft or slope that endangers an individual or interferes with the use of the equipment for more than 30 minutes.

DMS is to investigate the accident. Upon completion of the investigation, a representative of DMS is to file a written report and review the accident with the victim or the victim’s family and a company official.

Contact A Coal Mine Workers’ Comp Lawyer For Help

Most employers in Kentucky are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance to provide certain benefits to employees who suffer workplace injuries.

Regardless of why a coal mine injury occurs, the miner who has been injured on the job or the family of a deceased miner deserves full workers’ compensation benefits as provided by Kentucky law. The Kentucky workers’ compensation attorneys at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer are dedicated to standing up for injured miners and their families. We’re ready to fight for all the benefits you are entitled to by law.

Before you accept any settlement offered by a mining company or insurance company, have an experienced workers’ compensation attorney review the offer and discuss whether it is a reasonable settlement. Our attorneys have decades of experience handling workers’ compensation claims.

For a free case evaluation and personalized assistance, contact our workers’ comp attorneys by phone at (877) 809-5352 or by filling out our online contact form. We have offices conveniently located across Kentucky to serve injured workers and ill workers. Call an experienced attorney today for legal assistance.