Couple Files Suit For Man's Injuries While Working At Mine

A man and his wife have filed suit against Speed Mining and Patriot Coal due to the personal injuries he suffered while working at the American Eagle Mine.

According to the suit Melvin D. Hubbard filed in West Virginia’s Kanawha Circuit Court on February 16, he was working as a mine electrician on February 6, 2009 and suffered injuries while riding on a “tub” that was being used as a mantrip vehicle.

Hubbard claims that as he was riding in the tub, it collided with another vehicle that had been stopped and unattended on the same track, which caused him to suffer injuries that included four broken ribs, a punctured lung, extensive bruising, extensive scarring, disfigurement, and a severe right shoulder injury requiring extensive surgery.

According to Hubbard, the surgery caused him to extensive nerve damages which resulted in the loss of the use of his right hand.

The suit claims that the mantrip vehicle had no seatbelts, no lights on the front, no working brakes, and no working radio that allowed the driver to determine the existence of other traffic on the same track. The suit also says the seat was not bolted down to the floor and the driver was driving too fast for the conditions.

According to Hubbard, management knew in advance of the safety violations because he had filed complaints to the chief electrician over the driver’s speed on mantrips and the equipment’s poor condition.

Hubbard says that he is unable to sleep at night, has to take Hydrocodone and Loritab, has lost the ability to enjoy life, and has lost the ability to perform necessary household services for himself, his wife, Brenda Hubbard, and his son, Jason Hubbard.