A Massey Energy contract trucking firm has been cited by West Virginia investigators for five alleged safety violations that contributed to the February death of a coal-truck driver at Massey’s Republic Energy Surface Mine.
Medford Trucking was not doing pre-shift safety checks of the truck, and the truck’s service brake air supply reservoir “had been purposely bypassed, therefore reducing the volume of air available for braking,” state investigators found. Also, investigators found that four of six brake drums were worn beyond the manufacturer’s wear limits.
The state Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training issued its investigation report on Tuesday on the Feb. 6 death of 70-year-old William Wade of Charleston. Wade was killed when he lost control of a tractor-tailer (see photo above from MSHA) on the downhill portion of the Cabin Creek haulroad for the mine, which is located near Mossy, in Fayette and Kanawha counties.
Wade worked for Medford Trucking LLC, a contractor for Massey’s Elk Run Coal Co., dba as Republic Energy.
According to the state report:
Shortly before 9 a.m., Wade began driving down the grade and passed an empty coal truck. The driver of that truck said Wade appeared to be in full control of his vehicle when the two passed. But as the other driver continued up the hill, he heard Wade on the CB radio saying he was “having problems with his truck.” Then, Wade radioed that he “was losing his engine and having brake problems.”
Wade then told another driver who was just starting up the hill in the other direction to “get out of the way,” according to one witness. Another witness saw Wade’s truck go to the left side of the road and “abruptly climb approximately 16 feet up the steep embankment beside the roadway and overturn,” according to the state report. Coworkers discovered Wade pinned beneath the truck’s cab. The truck was lifted off him, and he was taken to a Charleston hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:38 a.m.
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