According to US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesperson Amy Louviere, the underground incident happened at about 10:30pm local time, August 6. However, the agency’s call center report reflects that mine officials did not call the MSHA accident reporting line until about an hour later.

 

While initial media reports said the worker, who was identified as a mine foreman, suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, Louviere confirmed only the rib injury and could not verify the position the miner held at the eastern Kentucky operation.

 

The worker was scheduled to be released from a regional medical facility on Monday, Louviere told ILN.

 

According to federal data, North Fork Coal’s No. 5 is controlled by Richard Gilliam, who listed a Virginia address at the time the mine commenced records with MSHA in March 2004.

 

The operation reported three non-fatal days lost operator injuries in 2008, when it produced just over 381,000 tons of coal within 127,000 recorded hours worked and ended the year with an NFDL rate of 4.72. It has recorded two NFDL operator injuries so far in 2009.