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COAL MINE FATALITY - On December 19, 2000, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a 24-year old contract truck driver, with approximately fifteen months experience, sustained fatal injuries. He was preparing to dump his load along side another truck that was in the process of dumping it's load. The coal in the other truck was frozen and would not discharge when the bed was raised. When the trailer reached maximum extension the trailer tipped over landing on the cab of the victim's truck.

Fatalgram Photo

Best Practices

  • Trucks dumping side by side should stay a distance of at least the height of the trailer apart.
  • Trucks dumping side by side should be positioned so that drivers can see each other.
  • If possible, agents should be used to keep materials from freezing in the bed of any haul truck.
More Information
E-mail Suggestion for Accident Prevention Program 		Submit your own suggestion for a remedy to prevent this type of accident in the future.
Please specify if you wish your submission to be anonymous or whether your name may be used. Please include the year of the fatality and the fatality number.


This is the 37th fatality reported in calendar year 2000 in the coal mining industry. As of this date in 1999, there were 32 fatalities. This is the 10th accident classified as powered haulage reported in the coal mining industry in 2000. As of this date in 1999, there were 5 fatal accidents classified as powered haulage reported in the coal mining industry.

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This bulletin is part of the Mine Safety and Health Administration's (MSHA) program to alert the mining industry in a timely manner of a tragic loss of life in the mines. We encourage you to consider the above information as you make safety decisions for or recommendations to your company or constituency. The information provided in this notice is based on preliminary data ONLY and does not represent final determinations regarding the nature of the incident or conclusions regarding the cause of the fatality.

For more information:
Fatal Alert Bulletin Icon MSHA's Fatal Accident Investigation Report



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