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Nathanial D Clarida, 35, of Eldorado, was pronounced dead at the mine just after 2pm Tuesday, according to the Saline County Coroner's Office.
According to local news channel WSILTV, coroner Jerry Watson said the preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma.
US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokeswoman Amy Louviere told ILN Clarida was killed at about 12.20pm on Tuesday at Peabody Midwest Mining’s Wildcat Hills underground mine in Saline County.
“Preliminary information indicates that … a ram car being trammed through a ventilation curtain hit a miner,” she said.
“MSHA has issued a closure order and will conduct an investigation.”
The agency classified the incident under powered haulage.
“Wildcat Hills deeply mourns the loss of a fellow employee and expresses its sympathies to family members, coworkers and friends,” a Peabody spokesperson said but did not indicate any further details about the incident.
Wildcat Hills, a room and pillar drift operation located near Eldorado, has about 200 workers working two fishtail supersections.
It has been in production extracting from the Illinois No 6 seam since March 2006 and sold about 1.5 million tons of coal in 2012.
The miner’s death is the 10th in the US this year and the second in Illinois.
The Wildcat Hills mine will remain closed while MSHA conducts its investigation.
