January 13, 2026 - The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration issued a fatality alert Monday in connection with the November mining accident in Nicholas County, West Virginia that claimed a coal miner’s life.

Steve Lipscomb, 42, of Elkview, died on Nov. 8 shortly after the Rolling Thunder Mine was inundated with water.

Lipscomb, whose body was recovered on Nov. 13, was the section foreman on the crew that encountered the water.

The MSHA notice issued Monday said Lipscomb’s death was the 28th mining fatality reported in 2025 and the first classified as “inundation.”

See alert here

The agency listed four best practices in Monday’s alert:

–Determine the location of abandoned mine workings using signed maps and local sources. Abandoned mines are a major flood hazard.

–Provide sufficient barrier pillars. Evaluate interburden thickness and compare mine surveys from a common baseline.

–Use directional, long-hole drilling to ensure adequate barriers around mining areas.

–If necessary, submit permits for “operations under water.”

A final report on the death hasn’t yet been released. A preliminary report was released in late-November.

Mine owner Alpha Metallurgical Resources and others have said Lipscomb made sure his fellow miners got out of the mine before he did. His actions have been called heroic.