Massey Energy coal miner dies from injuries suffered at W.Va. underground operation

W.Va. coal miner dies from injuries at Massey mine

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State and federal regulators say a Massey Energy coal miner has died after being injured on the job more than a week ago.

State of West Virginia spokesman Hoy Murphy says 55-year-old James Erwin died about 6 a.m. Friday.

Erwin was pinned between a piece of heavy equipment and the wall at Massey’s Ruby Energy mine in Mingo County on May 10.

Massey said in a news release that it would do everything possible to provide for Erwin’s family in the months ahead.

Erwin’s death comes as Virginia-based Massey faces criminal and civil investigations into an explosion April 5 that killed 29 men at its Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia. The blast is the nation’s deadliest coal mining disaster in 40 years.