By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
The United States Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a Report of Investigation surrounding the November 6th, 2025 fatal accident at the Mountain View Mine operated by Mettiki Coal WV, LLC in Davis. The bituminous coal mine in the Upper Freeport coal seam that currently employs 242 miners has been slated for closure prior to the release of the report due to reduced demand of coal from the facility.
On November 6th, 2025 at 1:30 a.m., a 25 year old scoop operator with three years experience in the mines named Joseph Mitchell, Jr., died when the scoop he was operating was struck by an out of control supply train in the mine.
The overview section of the document outlines three points that lead to the accident: The operator did not: follow the established safeguard in place to ensure haulage clearance is obtained when mobile equipment is in use at this mine, establish a policy or procedure to ensure that operators maintain control of diesel powered equipment and establish a procedure to ensure the sanding devices on the locomotives were maintained.
The accident occurred when motor crew approached 41 block and attempted to slow the supply train they were operating. The rail in the area was found to be wet and muddy, which made the train unable to slow. The motor crew attempted then to operate the sanding devices to assist with the braking, but the supply train continued out of control, according to the report. The out of control train was seen by other staff and broadcast over the radio. The locomotive lights were flashed and the horn was blown to warn Mitchell who was operating his scoop down the line.
The collision caused the No. 2 locomotive and five of the six supply cars to derail. The No. 1 locomotive and sixth supply car remained on the track.
One of the motor crew was knocked to the floor of the 30 ton locomotive, suffering head and leg injuries. Mitchell was found unresponsive under the first derailed supply car. Help was radioed for and 911 was called for at 1:32 a.m. Miners assisted in freeing Mitchell from under the supply car, as well as with resuscitation efforts prior to Tucker County Ambulance personnel arriving on scene. Mitchell was transported to Garrett County Regional Medical Center in Oakland, Maryland where he was pronounced dead at 4:16 a.m.
The Department of Labor National Contact Center was called at 2:01 a.m. and personnel were on scene at 5 a.m. MSHA’s accident investigation team and West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health Safety and Training conducted examination of the accident scene, photographed, interviewed miners and management, as well as reviewed conditions and work practices relevant to the accident.
During the investigation, it was found that despite no issues being reported on the locomotives and investigators being told both sanders were “filled and tested multiple times during the shift,” when tested by investigators, neither locomotive had fully functioning sanding devices due to wet conditions which reduced the ability to deliver sand. It was further determined that the non-functioning sanders were not damaged as a result of the collision and the moisture content of the sand contributed to the accident. The operational condition of the supply cars was not found to have contributed to the accident. All the workers involved in the accident were found to have received all their training in accordance with MSHA Part 48 training regulations.
The investigation found the Root Causes of the accident to be three fold.
1. Root Cause: The mine operator did not ensure that the established policy and procedures included in the safeguard were followed.
Corrective Action: The mine operator re-trained all miners in the provisions of safeguard No. 9121435 informing miners of the requirements to obtain clearance from the dispatcher prior to moving mobile equipment on the track haulage.
2. Root Cause: The mine operator did not have a policy or procedure in place to ensure miners could maintain control of the diesel-powered locomotives.
Corrective Action: The mine operator has installed derails, warning signs, and a block light system at the beginning of all steep grades and developed procedures in their use. All miners were trained in the procedures.
3. Root Cause: The mine operator did not have a policy or procedure in place to ensure proper function of the machine-mounted sanding devices on the Brookville 30-ton locomotives.
Corrective Action: A safeguard was issued to require sanding devices to be maintained on all locomotives. Additionally, the sanding devices on all operating locomotives were examined and repaired.
The following enforcement actions were noted in the report: a 103(k) order, two 104(a) citations and a 314(b) safeguard. The 103(k) order was issued to ensure the safety of all persons at the time of the incident and secure the scene. Each of the two 104(a) citations carries penalties ranging from $130 to over $72,000 and requires immediate abatement, according to the Mine Health and Safety Administration.
A 314(b) safeguard exists to compel mine operators to correct or maintain specific safety measures to prevent accidents not already covered by existing safety standards. In the case of the Mettiki mine, it was issued to require track mounted locomotives to be provided with properly installed and maintained sanding devices at each wheel that will deposit sand in both directions to the track rails. The sanding devices and reservoirs were further required to be checked and filled with sand, as necessary, before the locomotive was placed into operation.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) completed the last regular (E01) safety and health inspection at the Mountain View Mine September 23, 2025, according to the report. The report stated that the 2024 non-fatal days lost incident rate for the mine was zero, compared to the national average of 3.02 for mines of its type.
