We posted a story earlier on the Gazette’s website, but here’s more from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration:

Last night at about 8:00 pm, a miner was killed on the surface at the river portal of the underground mine. The victim was bridging at a nip connection for his loading machine, which was used as a trench digger. The victim had exited his machine to hook up the nip, and it appears the machine struck him when re-energized. The miner’s leg was amputated. The area where the accident occurred is called the “jump.” This is an area where there is a 50-foot break in the trolley wire, where regular vehicles can cross the mine track.

An investigator responded last night and secured the scene. An investigation is underway.

MSHA also provided this update:

The victim attempted to use a jumper cable to move the machine (referred to as a hoe, used for trench digging). The machine failed to coast through a gap in the trolley wire, and the victim dismounted to connect the jumper cable to the trolley wire to move the machine through the gap. He placed one end of the nip on the energized trolley wire and one end on the harp of the machine’s trolley pole. An eye witness account indicated that when the victim placed the nip on the harp, the machine suddenly moved forward and ran over him.

Update: The Wheeling paper has identified the miner who was killed as 62-year-old Charles McIntire.