Jan 22, 2022 2 min read

A Greene County man died last week in a mining accident in West Virginia.

Jeffrey Phillips, 44, of Waynesburg, was fatally injured Jan. 14 after falling while working above a belt line at Ohio County Coal Co.’s Ohio County Mine in Benwood, according to a press release issued by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.

“Any time we lose one of our brave and important West Virginia coal miners, it’s a terrible thing,” Justice said. “Cathy and I are heartbroken for his loved ones and fellow miners. We ask that all West Virginians join us in keeping this man and his family in your prayers during this difficult time. We’d also ask you to remember and appreciate everyone who does this important work. We should never take for granted the strength and selflessness that it takes to go underground to keep the lights on for the people across our state and our nation.”

Benwood Police Chief Frank Longwell told the Wheeling Intelligencer that the incident occurred about 11:30 a.m., and that Phillips fell about 30 feet. He died at the scene.

According to Longwell, the mine was down for maintenance at the time.

“The mine’s on an outage. They’re doing a huge maintenance project, so the mine wasn’t functioning at the time of the accident,” Longwell told the Intelligencer.

Phillips was working as subcontractor for Dunkard Township-based NextGen Industrial Services.

Neither NextGen nor American Consolidated Natural Resources, which owns the mine, responded to requests for comment.

Benwood and Moundsville fire departments responded to last week’s accident. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health Safety and Training are investigating.

Phillips is survived by his parents, three children and a grandchild.