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...
clearly miracles situation
We are clearly in the situation where we need a miracle. But miracles happen.
believed best decisions extreme physical rightly stress
Rightly or wrongly, we made what we believed to be the best decisions ... while working under extreme stress and physical exhaustion.
perspective
Let's put this in perspective. Who do I tell not to celebrate? I didn't know if there were 12 or 1 (who were alive).
believe determined fewer forward hard industry less men move pace people quicker talented
We determined we could move forward at a quicker pace by rehabilitating fewer entries and doing less construction on the way in. I believe we have the smartest, most talented people in the industry working as hard as they can to get the men out safely.
confirmed determined hospital local medical miners remaining rescue rushed serious structure survivor team
The only confirmed survivor is Randall McCloy, who has now been rushed to a local hospital in serious condition. The 11 remaining miners in the barricade structure were determined by the medical technicians on the rescue team to have already deceased.
We had no idea what they were being told.
allowed good longer needed process trying
We needed good information, and we were trying to get them that information. In the process of being cautious, we allowed the jubilation to go on longer than it should have.
believe defending focus mine people
Our focus is not on defending records, our focus is on getting people out of there and that's all we want to focus on at this point. We believe the mine was safe.
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.
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.
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 longer
We allowed the jubilation to go on longer than it should have.
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.