A coal miner was killed Friday, May 31, at an underground mine in Buchanan County.
“We learned that 27-year-old Brock Jackson of Cedar Bluff Virginia had died after rock fell from the roof of the mine about 7 feet,” said Tarah Kesterson, Public Relations Manager with the Virginia Department of Energy.
Jackson was a roof bolter operator for the evening shift, and the mine where he worked produces metallurgical coal, which is used in the production of steel.
Kesterson said Jackson’s death is the first coal mine fatality in Virginia, in almost a decade.
“The last fatality we had was in March 2015.”
Last year, there were 2,260 people employed at coal mines in Virginia. That’s less than half what it was in 2013
The Buchanan #1 mine, where the fatality occurred, is the largest underground mine in Virginia and produces the most coal in the state.
The Virginia Department of Energy and the Mine Safety and Health Administration both are investigating the accident.
