Ben Hatfield
Ben Hatfield
The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006, at the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia, United States, near the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon. The blast and collapse trapped 13 miners for nearly two days; only one survived. It was the worst mining disaster in the United States since the Jim Walter Resources Mine Disaster in Alabama on September 23, 2001, and the worst disaster in West Virginia since the 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster...
continue determined hope information received remain search thus
While we're very disappointed by the information we have received thus far, we remain determined to continue the search so long as there is hope, and hope remains.
continue forward hard push
We all continue to push forward as hard as we can so long as there is hope.
accident coal learn lessons protect
We must learn the lessons from this accident that will better protect coal miners.
hour likelihood outcome passes successful
With each hour that passes the likelihood of a successful outcome diminishes.
certainly confident employees explosion final highly joint knowledge pleased reach similar unusual word work
While our independent investigation is certainly not the final word on the explosion, we are confident that the joint federal-state investigation will reach a similar conclusion. We are pleased that we can get our Sago employees back to work with the knowledge that the explosion was an unpredictable and highly unusual accident.
blazing miles
We can't see 2 miles underground. We didn't know if there was a blazing fire.
develop effort future help identify intend leader prevent safety
We intend to be a leader in the effort to identify and develop safety technologies that will help to prevent future tragedies.
army conduct fixed hard people safe
We have an army of people working as hard as they can to get the ventilation fixed so it is safe to go in and conduct the investigation.
finger history interest violation
We're not going to get into the violation history or finger pointing. That's in no one's interest at this point.
believed communication factual rightly second statements suspicious
We were just as suspicious of the second communication as the first. We didn't know what to think. Rightly or wrongly, we believed it was important to make factual statements to the family.
company interest involved mine operated time year
We have no interest in getting into finger-pointing of what went on a year ago. This is a mine that operated for some significant time before my company was involved with it.
allowed good information longer process trying
We were trying to get them good information and in the process of being cautious, we allowed the jubilation to go on longer than it should have.
anyone clue damage regret truly
I don't think anyone had a clue how much damage was about to be created. And we truly regret that.
We thought we had a celebration that would never end.