TORONTO (miningweekly.com) – US coal miner Patriot Coal on Tuesday reported a fatality at its Highland mine, located near Henderson, Kentucky.
Patriot said 34-year-old Eli Eldridge was fatally injured on Tuesday when he was struck by a coal hauler while working underground.
The Eastern US-focused company said it was fully cooperating with state and federal mine regulatory agencies as they investigated the incident.
Citing low natural gas prices and increasingly stringent US Environmental Protection Agency regulations, Patriot had earlier this month issued 670 Kentucky coal miners at the Highland mining complex, and the Dodge Hill mining complex, near Sturgis, with Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices.
Patriot on December 5 said management was evaluating various strategic options for Highland and Dodge Hill that could result in substantial workforce reductions within the next 60 days.
Together, the Highland and Dodge Hill complexes produced 3.9-million tons of thermal coal in 2013.