Preston Pollard, a 25-year-old from Perry County, was fatally injured Wednesday morning while performing maintenance on equipment at the Combs Branch Mine.
According to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, Pollard is the first Kentucky coal miner killed on the job since 2023.
According to the state Energy and Environment Cabinet, the mine is owned by Pine Branch Mining LLC of Hazard.
Mine operations were shut down to allow state and federal mine safety officials to investigate the cause of Pollard’s death.
Nationwide, he is the fifth to be killed on the job this year. Another coal miner was killed on Tuesday in western Pennsylvania. Two died last month at two separate mines in West Virginia.
Mine fatalities have declined in recent years as coal production and employment have dropped.
In 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions curtailed mine activity, five coal workers died on the job, the lowest number on record.
Coal mine fatalities have become infrequent in Kentucky because production has declined and employment is down to fewer than 4,000 workers statewide. Recent mine bankruptcies and layoffs have thinned the ranks of coal workers even further.
