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Worker killed in Mt. Morris coal mine was pinned by falling materials

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MT. MORRIS – A coal miner who died Saturday following an accident at the Dana Mining Co.’s 4 West Mine near Mt. Morris – the second fatality at the mine in less than seven months – had been pinned to the mine floor by falling material, the Mine Safety and Health Administration said Monday.

Jeremy R. Neice, 31, of Danville, W.Va., who had worked at the mine for less than a year, died of injuries suffered in the accident which occurred about 6 p.m. Saturday.

A brief email message from MSHA spokeswoman Amy Louviere said Neice was fatally injured when “material” fell and pinned him to the mine floor. She did not say what the material was that fell.

Investigators from MSHA and the state Department of Environmental Protections’ Bureau of Mine Safety are investigating the accident, but they could not be reached for comment to elaborate on the incident because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday.

This was the second fatality at the mine within the past year. The last fatality on June 27, which took the life of John William Kelly, 55, of Albright, W.Va., also is attributed by MSHA to falling material.

In that case, Kelly, a scoop car operator with 21 years of mining experience, was injured when a heavy, metal airlock door and its frame, used to control mine ventilation inside the mine, fell on him.

Following that fatality, DEP issued compliance orders to the company, one of which alleged the air lock doors had not been properly installed nor properly bolted to the roof.

In the most recent fatality, Neice was freed by emergency responders and taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital, in Morgantown, W.Va., where he was pronounced dead. A cause of death was not released.

Brian Osborn, senior vice president of operations for Mepco Inc., of which Dana Mining Co. of Pennsylvania LLC is an affiliate, declined to comment Monday on the incident, but released a written statement Sunday.

“We at the company are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague,” Osborn said in the statement. “During this very difficult time, we extend our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Jeremy’s family, to all our employees, and to all who knew Jeremy.”

Operations at the mine were suspended following the accident, but resumed at 8 p.m. Sunday, Osborn said. The company is cooperating in the investigation into the cause of the accident, he said.

The 4 West Mine has been in operation since 2005 and has been operated by Dana Mining since 2008. 4 West mines Sewickley seam coal. The mine employs about 407 people, according to information provided in June. Last year, 4 West mined 2.1 million tons of coal, according to MSHA.

Most of the coal mined at 4 West is transported by a 4.5 mile conveyor belt system from the mine to the Longview Power plant in Monongalia County, W.Va.

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