Jim Walter Mine Tragedy: 10 Years Later

Ten years ago today, a series of explosions ripped through the Jim Walter Resources No. 5 Mine near Bookwood, Alabama, killing 13 coal miners: Gaston Adams, Jr., Raymond Ashworth, Nelson Banks, David Blevins, Clarence “Bit” Boyd, Wendell Johnson, John Knox, Dennis Mobley, Charles Nail, Joe Riggs, Charles Smith, Joe Sorah and Terry Stewart.

The Tuscaloosa News today wrote about the tragedy a decade ago:

"Thirty-two miners descended into Jim Walter Resources Blue Creek No. 5 Mine in Brookwood at about 3 p.m...to do routine maintenance in North America’s deepest underground coal mine.

"But within hours, what started as a routine day turned into a tragedy that would claim 13 miners’ lives. At the time, it was the nation’s worst mining disaster in 17 years."

A chaotic emergency response followed the first explosion and miners tried to assist those who were injured. About an hour after the first explosion, a larger and more violent explosion rocked throughout the mine, and 13 miners were killed—12 rescuers and one miner who had been hurt and unable to move after the initial explosion.

The second explosion was, according to reports, fueled by methane and float coal dust. It took seven weeks until teams could recover 12 of the victims.

While the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration issued 27 citations to Jim Walter Resources and faced $435,000 in fines, most of the major citations were dismissed and the mine ultimately only paid a $5,000 fine.

Instead of learning the lessons from root causes of the explosions that led to the death of 13 miners a decade since the tragedy, some commonsense protections have yet to be required.

Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the senior Democrat of the House Education and Workforce Committee and author of the Robert C. Byrd Mine Safety Protection Act, submitted a statement to the House of Representatives to mark the anniversary:

"As the senior Democratic member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, I strongly urge Congress to follow up on the lessons from the JWR #5 mine disaster, as well as the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster, which took the lives of 29 miners on April 5, 2010.

"Miners’ blood should not be spilled in vain. Continued inaction by Congress on matters of the health and safety our nation’s miners is simply inexcusable."