In an interview with ILN, US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesperson Amy Louviere said a 103(k) order, which temporarily idles production and evacuates crews, had been issued after a 7:15am accident that involved a golf cart overturning underground and striking the rib.
“Two of the miners were temporarily pinned by the overturned golf cart,” she added, noting that the identities of the workers have not been disclosed.
MSHA confirmed that one of the three was transported by helicopter to a medical facility, where he remained Monday afternoon with broken or cracked ribs and a broken ankle. The remaining two miners were treated for their injuries and released.
White County Coal is a subsidiary of Alliance Resource Partners. Pattiki employs 300 workers and produced 2.8 million tons in 2007.
In October last year, 45-year-old Tim Adamson died of blunt force trauma two days after being crushed between a continuous miner and the rib at Pattiki. He was an eight-year veteran of the mine.
Pattiki had 14 non-fatal days lost due to operator injuries throughout 2008, on over 764,000 total man-hours, according to MSHA statistics.