Miners’ widows press claims against Massey Energy
Testimony is about to start in a lawsuit over the deaths of two men in a conveyer belt fire at a Massey Energy coal mine in West Virginia in 2006.
Attorneys representing the men’s widows are expected to call their first witnesses Wednesday morning. They’re trying to prove that Richmond-based Massey, two subsidiaries and Chief Executive Don Blankenship owe damages for the deaths of 46-year-old Ellery Elvis Hatfield and 33-year-old Don Bragg.
Testimony is about to start in a lawsuit over the deaths of two men in a conveyer belt fire at a Massey Energy coal mine in West Virginia in 2006.
Attorneys representing the men’s widows are expected to call their first witnesses Wednesday morning. They’re trying to prove that Richmond-based Massey, two subsidiaries and Chief Executive Don Blankenship owe damages for the deaths of 46-year-old Ellery Elvis Hatfield and 33-year-old Don Bragg.
Both men died after getting lost in thick smoke at Massey’s Aracoma Alma No. 1 mine.
Defense attorneys concede mistakes were made, but they’re aiming to convince jurors the actions of the companies and Blankenship don’t rise to deliberate intent to cause injury or death.
Brief by The Associated Press
