According to Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports, a 61-year-old production foreman at Peabody Energy’s Willow Lake Portal mine was fatally injured when a battery-powered coal hauler struck and ran him over during early July. As the section scoop operator was walking to lunch, he found the production foreman lying in an intersection.

According to The Associated Press, St. Louis-based Peabody called the death “unacceptable” and expressed sympathy to the victim’s family and friends. MSHA considers Willow Lake a problem mine. In June, the agency was granted an expedited hearing before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. MSHA had fined Peabody subsidiary Big Ridge Inc. $230,000 for violations found at the mine since late 2008. Peabody insisted it had reviewed all processes at Willow Lake and citations were down 17% this year.

Willow Lake is a large underground mine. It employs about 450 people and produces about 3.4 million tons of coal annually. It was also one of the 57 coal mines targeted in a surprise inspection blitz of problem operations following the Upper Big Branch disaster.

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