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Family Says Miner Was Close to Death: ; McCloy Barely Alive When Rescuers Found Him; Others Had Tried to Escape, Brother-in-Law Says

Posted on: Friday, 13 January 2006, 00:00 CST

By DAVID DISHNEAU

TALLMANSVILLE - Randal McCloy Jr., the sole survivor of the Sago Mine disaster, was close to death when rescuers found him alive inside the mine, his family says.

"Randy was within minutes of not making it," said Rick McGee, McCloy's brother-in-law. "He was so close to being dead when they found him."

Days after rescuers pulled McCloy from the mine where 12 others died following a Jan. 2 explosion, he remained in critical condition Tuesday at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. Officials there said they would suspend daily press briefings on his condition until there was a significant change to report.

In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Dr. Larry Roberts said McCloy was still in a coma and that his overall condition remained unchanged. Earlier in the day, doctors had said tests showed a lot of activity on both sides of the 26-year-old's brain.

"It is probably too early for us to tell what that means, but it is very important to us that he has a lot of brain activity," said Dr. Julian Bailes, a neurosurgeon at the hospital.

McGee said Tuesday that International Coal Group Inc. chief executive Ben Hatfield told the McCloy family that the trapped miners apparently tried to use the same mechanized mine car they rode into the mine to force their way out, but debris blocked their path.

"They found footprints," said McGee. The men "tried to go back out of the mine. This ain't hearsay. This came from Hatfield's mouth."

Lara Ramsburg, a spokeswoman for Gov. Joe Manchin, said Tuesday that it's also the state's understanding the men tried to escape.

"They couldn't get that accomplished ... ," Ramsburg said. "They then, being trained, turned around and went back to the face, where they barricaded themselves." In a mine, the "face" is where miners are removing coal.

The explosion at the Sago mine killed one miner immediately. By the time rescue workers reached the 12 other miners more than 41 hours after the explosion, all but McCloy had died of carbon monoxide poisoning. It was West Virginia's worst coal-mining accident in more than 35 years.

Hatfield did not return repeated requests for comment Tuesday about whether the miners made an escape effort. In a statement issued to The Associated Press, he said it was probable the miners believed a fire or debris from the explosion was blocking their path.

In the days since the accident, Hatfield has said it's possible the men could have walked to a section of the mine with clean air, and then made their way out - an assertion he repeated in his statement to the AP.

In an interview with USAToday published Tuesday, Hatfield said if the trapped miners had had wireless communication devices, it would have been possible to tell them of a safe way out. The only method of communication at Sago, a wired phone, was destroyed in the blast.

Hatfield told USAToday his company would consider issuing miners radios. In response to questions from the AP, the company declined Tuesday to say if it has made changes in safety procedures at its other mines.

Federal officials said Tuesday they did not know how long it would take to complete their joint investigation with the state into the disaster.

Richard Gates, the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration's lead investigator into the accident, said he hoped the venting at the mine, including the removal of methane gas would be complete within a week.

Until then, no one will be allowed inside.

Associated Press Writer Jennifer C. Yates in Morgantown contributed to this report.

Source: Charleston Daily Mail

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