Canadian Company Faulted for New York Miner’s Death

A Canadian mining company is being blamed for the accidental death of a 40-year-old upstate New York miner.

Willard Clewis Jr. of Gouverneur was killed May 31 when a large rock fell and crushed him while he and a co-worker were drilling 1,380 feet below the surface in St. Lawrence County.

Federal regulators said Tuesday that the accident occurred because management at St. Lawrence Zinc didn’t enforce its own safety policy about securing loose rock.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration says fines will be assessed later against St. Lawrence Zinc, which shut down operations in August.

The company had no comment about the findings. St. Lawrence Zinc is owned by HudBay Minerals of Winnipeg.

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Information from: Watertown Daily Times