Man Drowns In Bulldozer Accident

[randy88k5]

I saw this in my local paper. The dive team is having a hard time getting through the roof of the dozer.

Recovery of man from W.Va. slurry pond suspended » Latest news » Cumberland Times-News

LUMBERPORT, W.Va. (AP) — Dive teams trying to remove a bulldozer driver from a West Virginia coal slurry pond have been forced to suspend operations because of technical challenges.
The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration said Wednesday it may now take up to two days to cut through the roof of the cab on the submerged dozer.
The dozer and its driver were swept into the massive Robinson Run prep plant impoundment near Lumberport on Nov. 30 when part of an embankment collapsed. The cause is under investigation.
MSHA says dive teams had been able to cut a small hole in the cab and locate the man, but the slurry and water are interfering with their ability to cut further.
They suspended operations Tuesday night and are now looking for different tools.

 

[Peter_C]

Why not recover the dozer and the body?

 

[randy88k5]

Update on the story, dated December 14, 2012

LUMBERPORT, W.Va.: Body of worker recovered in W.Va. coal slurry pond | Nation | Kentucky.com

LUMBERPORT, W.Va. — Search crews have recovered the body of a worker missing since Nov. 30 in a West Virginia coal slurry pond.
Consol Energy spokeswoman Lynn Seay said Friday that the body of 58-year-old Markel J. Koon of Shinnston was found inside the cab of the bulldozer he was driving when an embankment collapsed.
The bulldozer, with Koon inside, was swept into the massive Robinson Run prep plant impoundment near Lumberport, along with two pickups and other men who survived. Lumberport is located about 40 miles southwest of the college town of Morgantown.
Dive teams located the bulldozer and repositioned a pipe with built-in water jets that pushed away the muck so they could see it. During a dive Friday, they cut open the canopy and found the victim.
Koon was a 37-year Consol employee.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I got a call from a Consol supervisor two weeks ago at about ten o clock on a Sunday night about this looking for spare gear for the divers. It was a nasty situation. They wanted extra dry suits and FFM's with coms. Unfortunately I don't stock either. The problem with bringing the whole dozer up was just trying to even get a hook on it safely. That's why they needed the pipe with the waterjets to push the slurry aside and allow the pipe to fill with water. What they were working in was along the lines of oatmeal. But instead of oats it was rock. Try swimming through that. I even wonder if they'll try to raise the machine. For them the cost of it is a drop in the bucket. IF not for the operator they'd have just wrote it off the next day.