Preliminary Report - Fatality #2 - February 26, 2012

On Sunday, February 26, 2012, at 1 :15 a.m., a 52 year old Deckhand was determined missing. He had been assigned the task of measuring the draft of a set of empty barges that were to be loaded. The surface miner had to cross from the permanent floating work-barge to the first empty barge. Witnesses observed him on the empty barge walking up-river on the barge. He apparently fell from the barge into the Tennessee River. Coworkers saw his cap in the water and immediately called for the Marshall County Rescue Squad. The body was found beneath the rake of the bow of the fixed barge at approximately 2:30 a.m. The miner was wearing an approved flotation device.