The West Virginia Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training has confirmed a CONSOL Energy employee died Thursday at the Blacksville No. 2 Mine, located in Greene County, PA.
CONSOL media officials said the fatal accident occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m., when William Edward Mock, 61, was struck by a rock along the track haulage.
Mock was attempting to raise the trolley wire at an outby location when a large piece of rock fell, pinning him against the mine rib and the floor, according to W.Va. Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training officials.
Mock was transported to an area hospital but died as a result of injuries sustained, according to CONSOL officials.
An inspector is currently on site, according to Jesse Lawder, spokesman for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration.
The mine reopened around 4 p.m. Friday after being closed for nearly 24 hours following the accident, CONSOL officials said.
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) International President Cecil E. Roberts issued the following statement Friday:
"The hearts and prayers of the UMWA and our entire membership are with the families of two miners killed on the job in recent days, Julius Walker III on Tuesday in Alabama and William Edward Mock yesterday in West Virginia. We stand ready to assist those families in any way we can. Our International Union health and safety experts are participating in the investigations at both mines, so that we can find out exactly what happened and do everything possible to keep these kind of incidents from ever happening again. While those investigations are underway, I urge every miner to be more vigilant than ever in identifying unsafe working conditions and staying away from them. If it's not safe, don't do it."
Monongalia County EMS, along with Greene County EMS, responded to the scene.
Officials said the accident investigation is ongoing.
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