WILLIAMSTOWN, Pa. — One man is dead after a mine accident in northern Dauphin County, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Daniel Frank Shoener, 37, was working about 1,000 feet below the surface of a mine in Williamstown when a rock fell on him at about 12:45 p.m., according to State Police. Shoener was injured and trapped under the rock.
Crews were able to get Shoener back up to the surface, but police said his blunt force injuries were too serious and he died on the scene.
The mine, called Williamstown Mine #1, is one of eight active anthracite coal mines in Williamstown, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Williamstown has a long history of coal mining, having been built up as a mining town in the 1800s.
Williamstown Mine #1 is run by Kimmel’s Coal and Packaging, whose website says they have been around since 1983.
The company has about 50 employees, according to analytics and data firm Dun & Bradstreet.
A man who lives near the mine said he couldn’t remember any other accidents at the mine for at least 20 years.
State Police are continuing to investigate this incident.