Mine Death Suits Settled
WHEELING - Civil lawsuits resulting from a pair of August 2007 cave-ins at Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah have been resolved.
According to a news release issued on behalf of the corporation by Mike Mullett of Georgia-based Cookerly Public Relations, a comprehensive settlement was reached for an undisclosed amount of money. The release refers to the settlement as a "monumental success," noting it involves 16 groups of plaintiffs, seven defendants consisting of five companies and two public entities, and six insurance companies.
Six miners were trapped inside the Utah mine by an initial collapse on Aug. 6, 2007. Three rescuers were killed by a second collapse 10 days later, and three others were injured. The bodies of the six trapped miners were never recovered, and the mine has since been sealed.
The settlement was signed by lawyers for the defendants and the families of the 12 men who were killed or injured.
Belmont County mine operator Robert Murray is chairman of Cleveland-based Murray Energy Corp., which is part owner of the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah and parent company of several Ohio Valley coal mines. Murray Energy Corp. includes the independently operated subsidiaries The Ohio Valley Coal Co., The Ohio Valley Transloading Co. and American Energy Corp., all located in Belmont County. Murray Energy Corp. owns the Powhatan No. 6 mine and the Century Mine that opened near Beallsville in 2001, as well as 16 other mines in five states.
Robert Murray could not be reached for comment Tuesday after the settlement was announced.
Attempts to contact Rob Murray, vice president of Murray Energy, for comment also were unsuccessful. A message sent to him elicited an e-mailed response from Mullett saying the company has no further comment at this time.
Although terms of the settlement were not disclosed, lawyers for the families said it exceeded $20 million.
"I congratulate the focused, dedicated efforts of the many individuals, attorneys, company managers and entities involved in the settlement negotiations. Those efforts do justice to the heroism of the rescuers following the Aug. 6 accident," Kevin N. Anderson, attorney for UtahAmerican Energy Inc., said in the release, noting the settlement will allow those involved to avoid a potentially lengthy and costly trial.
"The geomechanics of coal mining under a mountain are extremely complex and difficult to assess. We have spent considerable time and effort attempting to determine what happened at the Crandall Canyon Mine. And while we have learned from the accidents, we realize that no one may ever know what actually caused those accidents, said Jason W. Hardin, another attorney for UtahAmerican.
The Utah cave-ins prompted questions about safety practices at some of Murray's local mines.
According to statistics provided by MSHA, one fatality - at Powhatan No. 6 - was recorded at the local mines from 1995 to 2007. That data indicates fatal incident rates at Powhatan No. 6 have been far lower than the national rates since 1995, with the exception of 2001 - the year the fatality occurred. Because there have been no fatalities at the Century Mine, rates there also have been lower than the national average.
However, non-fatal days lost for injuries at the Powhatan mine have been higher than the national average in 1995, 1997-2002, 2005 and 2006. Days lost also have been higher than national rates in 2001, 2005 and 2007 at the Century Mine.
In 2006, MSHA issued 551 citations against the Powhatan No. 6 mine, with penalties totalling $255,316.
Staff Writer Casey Junkins contributed to this report.
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RockEReputation
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05-14-09 10:43 AM
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"The geomechanics of coal mining under a mountain are extremely complex and difficult to assess." But will readily warn of impending doom when the mining technique of extracting pillars triggers violent reactions in strata that all miners realize makes 'retreat' in such case the safer and more logical approach to 'retreat pillaring'.
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