Fatality Reports
MSHA investigates each mining fatality and prepares the following documents to alert the mining community and prevent similar occurrences.
- Fatality Alert - describes the accident and lists best practices that may have prevented it
- Preliminary Report - initial report with brief description
- Final Report - investigative findings, including root causes and enforcement actions
Related Fatality Information
Some deaths on mining property are determined to be unrelated to mining activity and are not included in MSHA’s fatality statistics - See recent “non-chargeable” fatalities:
On November 17, 2014, Robert Arnold Fleenor, a 63-year-old truck driver, missed the last step while climbing down the ladder of his haul truck. He hit the tire of the haul truck and then slid down the tire and hit his head on the concrete. Several hours later, he complained of not feeling well, and was subsequently found unresponsive behind the steering wheel of his truck. He was transported to a hospital, where he died on November 27, 2014. The death certificate and autopsy report both indicated that the manner of death was accidental, and the cause of death was a left cerebral infarction due to left subdural hematoma. Based on the findings of the death certificate, the autopsy report, and the MSHA investigation, the committee members concluded that his death should be charged to the mining industry.