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US Mine Safety and Health Administration spokesperson Amy Louviere told ILN a 39-year-old continuous miner helper, identified by local media as James Jeffrey Faulk, was struck and run over by a shuttlecar at 8am local time at Alliance Resource Partners’ River View operation.
Initially reported as an accident, officials confirmed this afternoon that the worker was later pronounced dead and that the agency will classify the fatality as Powered Haulage.
According to an afternoon report from the Associated Press, Faulk was about a mile from the entrance of the Union County mine. No other injuries were reported.
Louviere told ILN that a 103k order to suspend production is in place at the mine and MSHA investigators have commenced their review.
State officials confirmed to local news outlets that their investigation has also begun.
River View, a room and pillar operation, employs 437 workers.
Faulk’s death was the 46th US coal fatality in 2010, and the sixth this year in Kentucky.
