 On this edition of MSHA News, you'll hear a startling account of how a 3,400-ton slab of rock fell onto a ram car. Let's listen and see how the operator escapes this crushing roof fall. At that time, the only thing that I would have liked to have had a canopy for is we used to use burlap curtain back years ago. And running through the burlap curtain, you know, it would get you muddy and slap you in the face and everything. But that was the only time that I really thought I would like to have a canopy. I didn't think they were that important. We have had guys complain about the canopies being too low or whatever, but that type of thing, you know, is something that we just have to deal with. The canopy regulations, of course, are not new. The canopy regulations were phased in into the Federal Mine Act in the early to mid-70s. During that time period, we ran into quite a lot of opposition to canopies because it was a change to the way normal mining practice was at the time. We have seen several instances where canopies have saved miners' lives. This latest instance that took place at the Chitopa Mine is one of many that I have experienced and that I personally know about. And so we have become convinced in IMSA that canopies are an extremely valuable addition to the mining operation. It appeared that there were three-gram cars, really, that were in the circle waiting for their chance to get out of the miner. One car had pulled out of the cross-cut and was back and under the miner. And these other two cars was parked in this two-ride entry. And they hadn't moved up yet, so they was parked there. And this rock, with no warning, just fell on this particular one car and trapped it completely in the other car and trapped it on the front end. I got in line with the right-side shuttle car operators and was sitting there maybe five minutes. When I saw a couple of chips fall out of the top, Sam was behind me and I turned when I hauled back at Sam and told him to watch the roof because I saw a chip a couple of times and while I was looking back, I saw and heard the top crack and I reached to crank up my car and it happened so quick. The next thing I heard was just an unbelievable crash when the rock fell because it was just all at once because it was just one solid rock. And the next thing I knew, the top had me pushed down in my shuttle car and the canopy was just right in my face and that's when I just started looking to try to find a way out. And that's when I had to roll my head and take my hat off to look back to see if Sam was okay. Of course the rock pinned the miner cable and the water hose on top of my battery in front of my car which automatically knocked the power on the miner but it busted the water hose and the water hose was flooding down beside my car and a couple of them said wait let's get the water off where they could hear me which I found out later. They couldn't hear me because of the water and so as soon as I got the water off then I was able to get out. I could hear them tell me it was clear to get out. At the time it happened I was on the phone calling the pre-shift report out and I heard a noise and I lost power. My belt went off so I asked outside on the computer could they tell me what was wrong and the only thing they told me was the belt that my belt was the only one off by that time my right side miner operator and the right side RAM car operator came running down the head and they told me that I had an operator trapped in a RAM car that he was okay but we had rock on top of him that we had to get it out. At the time it fell in I immediately started looking around for a way to get out because it happened so fast that you know the first thing you think about is you know trying to get out and when I saw my way when I saw that I had a way out between the rip and my RAM car I scooted out and as we came around Danny the way the rocket fell it left him away a passageway out of his RAM car which he came out between the rip and the RAM car and it was it was just a blessing to see him to know that he had made it you know without it without a scratch and for myself also it's just a blessing from God that we both survived this. After looking at the car I don't see how he got out really but he managed to squeeze out of the car down by the rib and get to safety and the other guy the other operator Mr. Ard he'd he got out of the car and was fortunate enough to be able to walk or run but Mr. Terry had to crawl slide on his belly to get out. Well in the 30 years of my mind and I've never seen a rock shape like that or that large in one piece and I've seen slips and cutters and rows and horsebacks but I've never seen a rock that had a slick and surface that came to a point and like this it was just shaped like a battleship and it just fell out in one chunk. The weight of this rock was estimated somewhere in the neighborhood of 3400 to 3500 tons with that weight on top of the car as you can see the wheels are turned outward it's quite apparent that the weight drove the frame of the car down to the foot wall so the entire vehicle is now resting on the mind floor but also point out that the batteries that were previously located here on the front of the vehicle have been removed by EPA requirements and is also for safety that we remove these batteries and get them out of the mind so they don't sit in here with a charge. If you'll notice back underneath you'll see the top ridge of the canopy. The canopy has been depressed down against the top of the tires and a part of the frame. Danny Terry who was the operator was positioned back underneath. Danny had to escape out from the side and came directly out toward me to escape from the fall. The best to describe this rock would be if you've ever seen a canoe turned upside down this would be a picture of this rock it's it's about 85 foot long it's about 12 feet wide at the base and approximately 12 feet high so this rock did not fall from rib to rib it just fell right straight down the middle of the entry. You can tell by looking at the walls of this roof that this was a slick and slide rock and it was on both sides. This rock just fell out with no warning whatsoever. There had been a roof bolted. No one had been concerned about it being an abnormal top. We have joints in the top and little roads occasionally but it didn't appear to be anything abnormal. Jimmy had been through the area previously during the shift. The roof boaters of course were in the area and they the one takes care of the roof condition so they wasn't concerned about it because they've been set another same rock so the boats were in it didn't have a chance I don't really don't want the rock stood as long as it did because it was just nothing holding it. It fell out 10 or 12 feet high and we normally don't ever set over six foot boats so it wouldn't have held a six foot boat wouldn't have held it. This area was supported with three foot fully grouted resin boats. It was on five foot centers and when this rock fall occurred there was just no way that this boat was gonna hold this roof. It just pulled boat and all out of the out of the holes. The investigation revealed that this area was complied with as far as the rear control plan and boat spacing on and throughout the other parts of this section. After the rock fall when I was laying in the ram car waiting to get out that did cross my mind. I've not been able to get out. I'm kind of like I said I didn't know how much more rock was gonna fall and I didn't know how much the canopy was gonna hold. The canopy is well designed. It's real strong. It's got a one inch plate that it's mounted on that's solid probably two and a half two and a quarter inch bars solid bars that's mounted on the brackets and supports the probably a one inch cover plate over the top which it has enclosed the whole top of the operator's compartment and it's well designed and it done its job and very fortunate very fortunate it done its job and this rock is so large and tremendous in size that it managed to push the one inch plates that's mounted molded around the car frame it just broke them down and broke the post over so if it hadn't been for the strength of the canopy they wouldn't been no out it would have been a fatality. Canapes are the best thing in the world. I wouldn't I wouldn't want to run anything or work with anything without a canopy. The canopy saved its life. There's no doubt about it. Well there's no question to it the canopy saved its life really. It's a good piece of equipment and strong canopy and it did its job. Sometimes when they're not running or they're sitting they're bad about putting their feet up and taking them out of the canopy if Danny had had his feet out of the canopy he would have been caught trapped. He couldn't have got out. Without canapes your life is definitely in danger with them as we've seen and as I know you can't survive a roof fall. The canopy is all that's saved in the good Lord Danny's life. Canapes are the best thing that's happened to the cold industry even though they are aggravating there it's been a continuous fight but they saved Danny's life. The canapes are a secondary line of defense where all when all else fails and the the roof falls in spite of proper examinations in spite of being supported according to way the roof control plan says that it should then canapes have proven over and over again that they indeed and it saved minor slives and are extremely valuable part of the mining system. It took three to five minutes from the time the rock fell on my car for me to get out but they sitting there waiting not knowing if I could get out yet or not and and maybe not being here with my family I think I'm very fortunate to still be here if I hadn't had a canopy I wouldn't be here today that's that's a known fact I was very much against canapes because they're so hard to get in and out of but I'm a firm believer in the canopy now I wouldn't run anything without one life a great reason to change canapes do save lives remember when you're at your mine think of Danny when operating your mining equipment