$100,000 Settlement for Coal Miners’ Families

Two Maryland families will split $100,000 in a settlement of a wrongful death suit brought after two coal miners were killed in a high-wall collapse.

The Times-News of Cumberland reports that the families of 51-year-old Dale Jones of Lonaconing and 38-year-old Michael Wilt of Frostburg and Tri-Star Mining and other defendants in the civil suit reached the agreement Thursday in Allegany County Circuit Court.

Jones and Wilt were killed in April 2007 when a high wall collapsed and they were buried by 93,000 tons of rubble at the Barton strip mine site.

Tri-Star was cited by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration for failure to establish a safe ground-control plan in the area.