Preliminary Report - Fatality #17 - October 17, 2011

On Monday, October 17, 2011, a fatal accident occurred on the surface area of the Shoemaker Mine when the operator of a trolley powered track mounted ditching hoe attempted to use a jumper cable to move the hoe. The machine had failed to coast through a gap in the trolley wire and the operator had dismounted to connect the jumper cable to the trolley wire to move the machine through the gap. He placed one end of the nip on the energized trolley wire and one end on the harp of the machine's trolley pole. An eyewitness account indicated that when the victim placed the nip on the harp the machine suddenly moved forward and ran over him.