Coal mining is not just blunt labor. It’s a very technical field and there are strict regulations that go into effect when you are hurt in coal mine. Most coal miners understand that. But they might not realize that they have rights when it comes to the investigation. It’s crucial that you call us at The Segal Law Firm immediately after a coal mining accident, so that we can gather the evidence quickly, find out what happened, and be with you every step of the way. We can make sure that you and your family’s rights are protected and that you get answers during this painful time.
Your Rights During the Investigation
Whether it’s an accident in a deep mine or a surface mine, there are federal and state inspectors that will most likely be involved in the investigation. Most importantly, you and your family have a right to take part in that inspection. Coal mining cases are extremely complex; the Upper Big Branch Mine investigation went on for several months. And although the final report for your case might not be released for some time, we at The Segal Law Firm are able to obtain preliminary reports for you or your widow. These early reports may be able to shed some insight on what happened, how the company put profit ahead of safety, and possibly get a piece of information that will help prove your case. But if you don’t call us until after the investigation is over, there’s not a whole lot we can do to monitor how it is conducted and protect you in that regard.
We want to be a part of the investigation with the family as early as possible. Many times, the information takes time for the investigators to develop, but day by day, critical little pieces of information will be coming out and you don’t want to miss out on those. As they pile up, your case gets stronger and that evidence will suddenly turn into a big case of misconduct. The more regulations we can catch them breaking, the better we’re going to be able to represent that coal miner and his family.
Evidence Can Disappear
Another reason it’s so important to call us right away is that evidence simply disappears. We know that coal miners have to be trained a certain way, with permits or licenses to do specific jobs. If you were hurt by another worker that was ill-trained or didn’t have the right license, we need to find that out before the records start disappearing.
We also need to be able to check out the machinery before it is moved or disposed of.
I had a case several years ago where a deep miner was literally hung by the roof bolting machine on which he was working. It was an incredibly sad case. Fortunately for the family, his widow contacted us very soon after and we were able to determine that the machine had been rebuilt during maintenance the wrong way. He thought he was hitting one lever and he was actually hitting another, resulting in his death. Because we had that piece of evidence for the widow, we were able to secure a large amount of money for the miner’s family.
Let Us Take the Legal Burden
When you’re dealing with a life changing injury or an unexpected death in the family, the last thing you want to be thinking about are the legalities of your case. There’s nothing we can do to bring your husband or father back, but we can tell you why the accident happened, what your legal rights are, and how you can protect you and your family; that’s a burden we can take off your shoulders. That way, you can get back to the business of healing or a family can go back to grieving for their loved one. Let us work on finding out what went wrong.
You can call us toll free from anywhere in the country. The phone call won’t cost you a penny. Let us get to work on your case and hopefully get a glimpse of what went wrong, so that we can protect your family. Call us sooner than later at 855-344-9100.