State officials have reported that the miner injured in an early Monday morning accident at a Massey Energy strip mine in Nicholas County is 21 years old and not 29, as previously released by the West Virginia Department of Commerce.
Addam Perdue, 29, of Mount Lookout remained in critical condition at Charleston Area Medical Center, according Jama Jarrett, communications specialist for the Department of Commerce.
Jarrett said the mine mechanic was checking the oil level on a piece of equipment when a protective shield was lowered onto his head accidentally.
“It appears that he became trapped between the blast shield of a highwall mining machine and its cutting head, which is a component of the machine that protects the miner from the cutting head,” Jarrett said.
Apparently, according to Jarrett, Perdue suffered massive facial fractures, lesions and bleeding.
Jarrett said the accident occurred at Massey subsidiary Alex Energy’s No. 1 Surface Mine.
