A Union County coal miner died today after being struck by a ram car in an underground mine near Waverly.
This is the 2nd mine-related fatality in Kentucky this year.
The Kentucky Division of Mine Safety identified the miner as 34-year-old Eli Eldridge of Sturgis.
The accident occurred at the Patriot Coal Company’s Highland number 9 mine at approximately 11 am today.
The mine is closed while DMS officials conduct an investigation.
A ram car is a shuttle vehicle that carries coal from the continuous miner to the feeder on the belt line.
This is the second miner death in 2014; in October, a surface operator died at a mine in Bell County.