Here’s the bad news in today from Illinois via the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration:

A serious, accident occurred Monday afternoon (11/4) at the M-Class mine, which resulted in a fatality.  At about mid-face on the longwall, a large piece of coal rolled over on the victim, causing crushing injuries.  The material was reported to be 3 feet long, 18 inches thick, and 20 inches wide. It took most of the crew to remove the coal from the victim. This is preliminary information.

This incident occurred at the MC#1 Mine, operated by M-Class Mining LLC.  This is the 19th coal-mining death in the U.S. so far this year, and the 4th in Illinois. That’s the most in Illinois since 1990, according to MSHA.