October 13, 2026 - A Kanawha County coal miner’s death last week comes as West Virginia’s mining industry has recorded 447 injuries, including two fatalities, through Oct. 5, according to statewide injury statistics from the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training.

The report, dated Oct. 5, lists 332 lost-time injuries, meaning incidents serious enough to result in time away from work or other qualifying restrictions, and 115 injuries that did not result in lost time.

The figures come as state officials investigate the death of Travis Price, a coal miner with 24 years of industry experience who died Oct. 8 at a Kanawha County mine. Federal mine safety officials classified the incident as a powered haulage accident, though the circumstances remain under investigation.

Price’s death is the third coal mining fatality in West Virginia in 2026, according to records maintained by the state mining safety office.

The statewide report lists two fatalities as of Oct. 5, before Price’s death. It records 388 injuries at underground mines, 34 at surface operations, seven at quarries and 18 at tipples.

Underground mines accounted for the bulk of reported injuries, including 298 lost-time injuries. Surface operations reported 22 lost-time injuries, quarries three and tipples nine.

Among lost-time injuries, the largest occupational category was general laborers and related workers, with 125 cases. Roof bolters accounted for 52, maintenance personnel 36 and face equipment operators 27.

The most frequently reported activity associated with lost-time injuries was slipping, tripping, stumbling or falling, with 55 cases. Handling materials accounted for 54, while reaching, lifting, pushing, bending or pulling accounted for 34. Another 34 involved falls of the roof, and 33 involved machinery.

The report also identifies 59 lost-time injuries among miners with less than one year of total mining experience and 68 among those with one to three years of experience. Workers with 15.1 to 20 years of experience accounted for 42 cases.

The report recorded no lost-time injuries classified as permanent disabilities. Of the 332 lost-time injuries, 191 involved days away from work only, while 139 involved both days away and restricted activity. Two were classified as cases involving neither death, days away nor restricted activity.

Price’s death has renewed attention on the dangers associated with moving mining equipment. Powered haulage accidents accounted for 13 of the nation’s 33 mining fatalities in 2025, or about 39%, according to the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. The accidents also accounted for 426 of 4,792 nonfatal mining injuries, about 9%.

Powered haulage incidents involve moving mining equipment and machinery, including shuttle cars, locomotives and front-end loaders.

The West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training is investigating Price’s death. Additional details about the accident have not been released.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey expressed condolences in a Facebook post Friday, initially identifying Speed Mine as the location before updating the post to identify American Eagle Mine.

“Every day, our coal miners take on difficult and dangerous work to provide for their families and communities,” Morrisey wrote. “Their dedication and sacrifice deserve our deepest respect and gratitude.”

Morrisey asked West Virginians to offer condolences to Price’s loved ones and the mining community.