Mining Incidents
Fatality · MSHA Record #219980610011

Bulldozer Operator fatality at Chapperal Plant (Lodestar Energy, Inc), KY, February 20, 1998

at 6:30 AM

On February 20, 1998, a bulldozer operator was fatally injured in a machinery accident at Chapperal Plant (Lodestar Energy, Inc), KY.

Chapperal Plant · Facility · Coal
Pike County, KY
Classification MACHINERY
Type (Not Elsewhere Classified)
Investigator narrative
EE WAS PUSHING MATERIAL WHEN THE DOZER HE WAS OPERATING BACKED INTO THE SLURRY IMPOUNDMENT. THE DOZER WAS COVERED BY 15' TO 20' OF SLURRY FOR APPROX. 48 HOURS. MEDICAL EXAMINER REPORTS IMMEDIA TE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS ASPHXIA.
Record details
Activity at time of incident
Bulldozer
Subunit / location
MILL OPERATION/PREPARATION PLANT
Accident type
(Not Elsewhere Classified)
Source of injury
OXYGEN DEFICIENT ATMOSPHR
Nature of injury
SUFFOC,SMOK INHILAT,DROWN
Body part affected
BODY SYSTEMS
Total mining experience
50 years
Experience at this mine
6 years
Experience in this job
25 years
Degree of injury
FATALITY

Related fatalities

Same operator

  • October 3, 2001 · Truck Driver · Lodestar Energy, Inc, KY
  • May 8, 2000 · Coal/Ore Shovel Operator · Lodestar Energy Incorporated, KY
  • May 22, 1998 · Haul/Off Road/Coal/Ore/Pit/Quarry/Rock/Rubber Tire Truck Driver · Lodestar Energy Inc, KY

Same classification

  • July 1, 2026 · Electrician · Warrior Met Coal BC, LLC, AL
  • May 20, 2026 · Maintenance Man · Pine Branch Mining LLC, KY
  • March 12, 2026 · Maintenance Man · Kennecott Utah Copper LLC, UT
  • March 5, 2026 · Continuous Miner Operator · Patton Mining LLC, IL
  • January 6, 2026 · Maintenance Man · National Cement Company Of California Inc, CA

Same year

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:

Source: US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) · Document 219980610011 · Mine ID 1505406 Trainer view →