Mine employee in critical condition after accident
An employee at Consol Energy’s Bailey Mine in Greene County was in critical condition in a Pittsburgh hospital on Tuesday, a day after an apparent electrical shock caused a burn on his left hand. William Cox, 40, of Moundsville, W.Va., was flown to Mercy Hospital following the 11 a.m. mishap that occurred at a charging station for battery-powered vehicles, Consol spokesman Joe Cerenzia explained.
Cox was in critical condition in Mercy’s Birmingham Trauma and Burn Center, said hospital spokeswoman Linda K. Ross.
Cerenzia said the injury was not life-threatening.
He said Cox, who has worked at Bailey for one year, was at a recharging station for “scoop” vehicles that haul supplies into and out of the mine when the mishap occurred.
“He had a hold of something, but we’re not sure what he was holding on to,” according to Cerenzia.
Members of Cox’s work crew found him conscious and helped him out of the mine.
He couldn’t remember what happened, but recalled the initial shock, Cerenzia said.
Investigators from state and federal agencies, and Consol are trying to determine the cause of the apparent shock, he said.
The incident occurred in an isolated part of the mine and did not impact mining operations. No one else was injured.
Consol said Bailey Mine, in Enon, Richhill Township, produced 11.1 million tons of coal in 2005 and is one of the largest underground mines in the country.