A 48-year-old coal miner died early this morning from injuries sustained in an accident at a Union County underground coal mine.
Lester Daugherty Jr. of Sturgis, Ky., was a mechanic with 16 years of experience. He suffered critical injuries at the 16,000-foot-deep River View mine near Waverly.
Daugherty began his shift at 11 p.m., Friday. He was performing maintenance on a continuous miner at the time of the accident. The Kentucky Department for Natural Resources Division of Mine Safety sent investigators to the mine early Saturday morning, following the death. All mining operations were shut down during the site inspection and remained closed today.
The Division of Mine Safety last inspected the mine on Oct. 18, 2021.
