Worker killed in Fayette County mine collapse

One person has died in a mine collapse in Fayette County.

Emergency crews worked for more than eight hours to free the worker at the Laurel Aggregate Lake Lynn Mine on Springhill Furnace Road in Springhill Township near the West Virginia border.

Saturday morning, the company that owns the mine, Arcosa, released a statement through spokesman Jeff Eller.

“We are deeply saddened to confirm a fatality has occurred as a result of an accident at the Laurel Aggregates mine,” Eller said. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the employee’s family and friends. Arcosa is cooperating with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) along with local authorities to investigate the cause of this accident.”

Lauren Fraley, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, said the victim was unresponsive when removed just after 11 p.m. Friday by the mine rescue team and the Smithfield volunteer fire department. The individual was pronounced dead at the scene; their name hasn’t been released.

Crews originally responded to Laurel Aggregate around 3 p.m. Friday for a report of a mine collapse.

Fraley said DEP believes the incident was caused by a portion of the mine roof falling onto equipment the victim was working in. Company crews and the DEP’s mine rescue team worked to remove loose rock to reach the equipment and move it under a supported area of the roof to extricate the miner, she said.

According to the company’s LinkedIn page, “Laurel Aggregates is a limestone and sandstone mining company located in Lake Lynn.”

The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania around 9 p.m. tweeted that they were requested to provide mental health services and support at the scene.

Crews cleared the scene around 1:20 a.m. Saturday.

The DEP has ordered work halted and will investigate with the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The investigation will include securing the accident site, interviewing mine personnel and conducting underground observations, Fraley said.

The department “will issue a preliminary action report with general findings and a final report with its full determination of the cause and potential corrective measures required of the mine operator to ensure that this type of situation does not happen again,” Fraley said.