West Virginia coal miner dies after falling 30 feet – CBS Pittsburgh

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A West Virginia coal miner died Friday from a fall in the state’s Northern Panhandle, Governor Jim Justice said.

The death of 44-year-old Jeffrey A. Phillips is at least the third death in the US coal mining industry this year. Other deaths have occurred this month in Indiana and Kentucky, according to the US Bureau of Mine Safety and Health.

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Phillips worked for contractor NextGen Industrial Services. The governor’s office said in a statement that Phillips fell while working on a belt in the preparation plant of an Ohio County Coal Company’s coal mine in the Marshall County community of Benwood.

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Benwood Police Chief Frank Longwell said the worker was not wearing a body harness and fell about 30 meters, The Wheeling Intelligencer and News-Register reported. The mine was down for maintenance and was idle at the time.

The mine is operated by American Consolidated Natural Resources Holdings Inc. in St. Clairsville, Ohio. The company is the largest private coal miner in the United States. It emerged from federal bankruptcy protection in 2020 and was formerly known as Murray Energy Holdings.

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