Fatality · MSHA Record #220252160003

Rotary Bucket Excavator Operator fatality at Academy Black (Cold Spring Granite Company), CA, July 29, 2025

at 7:58 AM

On July 29, 2025, a rotary bucket excavator operator was fatally injured in a machinery accident at Academy Black (Cold Spring Granite Company), CA.

Academy Black · Surface · Metal/Non-Metal

Operator: Cold Spring Granite Company (Patrick Alexander; Michael O'Connor)

Contractor on site: P599

Fresno County, CA

Classification MACHINERY

Type Struck against a moving object

Investigator narrative

Operator was backing up close to the edge at a berm and was facing the opposite way. Operator was pulled backwards by the counter weight, operator attempted to turn the machine to stop it from rolling into the ditch.

Record details

Activity at time of incident: Power Shovel, Dragline
Subunit / location: STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT
Accident type: Struck against a moving object
Source of injury: SURFACE MINING MACHINES
Nature of injury: MULTIPLE INJURIES
Body part affected: MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)
Total mining experience: 5 years
Experience at this mine: 0 years
Experience in this job: 8 years
Degree of injury: FATALITY

Related fatalities

Same operator

December 1, 1993 · Ledgeman/Hand · Cold Spring Granite Company, WI
March 25, 1986 · Drill Operator · Cold Spring Granite Company, SD

Same classification

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Same year

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Verify on MSHA

Every record on this page mirrors what MSHA publishes under its Open Government Data program, refreshed weekly. MSHA does not publish per-accident URLs (the Accidents data is distributed as a single bulk file), so this is how to retrieve the source for the specific record below:

Accident record: Download MSHA Accidents.zip then search for Document number 220252160003 (the unique key per MSHA Form 7000-1)
Mine record: MSHA Mine Data Retrieval System and search by Mine ID 0400231
All MSHA datasets: Open Government Data program directory covering Accident, Mines, Inspections, Violations, etc.

Source: US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) · Document 220252160003 · Mine ID 0400231 Trainer view →