Motorman fatality at Somerset Portal Eighty Four Complex (Beth Energy Mines Inc), PA, February 27, 1985

at 7:30 PM

On February 27, 1985, a motorman was fatally injured in a powered haulage accident at Somerset Portal Eighty Four Complex (Beth Energy Mines Inc), PA.

Somerset Portal Eighty Four Complex · Underground · Coal

Operator: Beth Energy Mines Inc (Bethlehem Steel Corp)

Washington County, PA

Classification POWERED HAULAGE

Type Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object

Investigator narrative

I.NAME HOOKED UP THE EMPTY MINE CARS TO HIS BUDDYS MOTOR TOOK THE BRAKES OFF AND REMOVED A SKID HE THEN GOT CLEAR IN A BREAKTHROUGH AND SIGNALED TO HIS BUDDY WITH HIS LIGHT TO PULL AWAY HIS BU DDY MOVED APPROX 23 CAR LENGTHS WHEN THE TRIP JERKED HE WALKED BACK AND FOUND I.NAME CAUGHT BETWEEN A DERAILED EMPTY MINE CAR AND THE RIB ON THE WIDE SIDE TRAUMA INTERNAL INJURIES PELVIC AND

Record details

Activity at time of incident: Observe Operations
Subunit / location: UNDERGROUND
Underground location: INTERSECTION
Mining method: Continuous Mining
Accident type: Caught in, under or between a moving and a stationary object
Source of injury: NARO G RAIL CR,MTR-UG EQP
Nature of injury: CRUSHING
Body part affected: TRUNK, MULTIPLE PARTS
Total mining experience: 10 years
Experience at this mine: 8 years
Experience in this job: 6 years
Degree of injury: FATALITY

Related fatalities

Same operator

May 19, 1992 · Crane Operator · Beth Energy Mines Inc, PA
June 10, 1990 · Maintenance Man · Beth Energy Mines Inc, PA
November 3, 1988 · Laborer · Beth Energy Mines Inc, PA
April 19, 1984 · Laborer · Beth Energy Mines Inc, PA

Same classification

July 6, 2026 · Utility Man · U.S. Lime Company-St. Clair, OK
July 6, 2026 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Freeport-McMoRan Morenci Inc., AZ
June 26, 2026 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Le Claire Investments Inc, IA
April 3, 2026 · Section Foreman · Ohio County Coal Resources, Inc., WV
January 8, 2026 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Ash Grove Cement South Texas LLC, TX

Same year

December 19, 1985 · Backhoe Operator · Florida Rock Industries Inc, FL
December 17, 1985 · Outside Foreman · Georgia Marble Company, GA
December 15, 1985 · Laborer · Drummond Company, Inc., AL
December 12, 1985 · Gathering Arm Loader Operator · Tennessee Chemical Company, TN
December 12, 1985 · Laborer · Mountain Top Coal Company, PA

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 219850700068 (the unique key per MSHA Form 7000-1)
Mine record: MSHA Mine Data Retrieval System and search by Mine ID 3600959
All MSHA datasets: Open Government Data program directory covering Accident, Mines, Inspections, Violations, etc.

Source: US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) · Document 219850700068 · Mine ID 3600959 Trainer view →