Miners Trapped In WV Coal Mine

[Mimi]

You know Scandi a freind of mine at work said something that has been on my mind all day.I am just hoping we here what happened in the mine from the survior when he can talk about it, But my friend said it would be incrdiable if we find out that the reason this young man is alive. Is because the other miners being older gave him thier oxygen. Since he was the young one of the bunch.And hearing stories today how all miners are family to each other.It would not surprise me.

OMG you just sent shivers through me from head to toe JDB. It will be interesting to hear the entire journey- albeit so sad! I just hope that they weren't within an hour or two of saving them all...what a hard fact that would be to get over...prayers to all!

 

[azwriter]

I watched the coverage of the mine rescue on CNN.
We were told that a loud male sounding roar went up from the area surrounding the mine's opening.
I would suppose that reaction was in response to news of the rescued miners.
I think this is where the miscommunication of the state of the miners happened.
Imagine the crowd hearing something like this "We've found them. And one is alive."
This phrase could easily be mistaken for "We've found them. And everyone is alive." See how closely they sound?
However, Anderson Cooper and every other anchor gave life to a rumor that the men were alive and safe by not checking their sources. Instead they reported from an unofficial person who was spreading what was heard by an unidentified source.
What should have happened was for the anchor to state that the station had not received official word on the miners' fate but that the crowd is reporting the men are alive and safe. Then the condition of the men should have been verified with the mine officials. This is not how reporting at the scene goes.
Certainly as coverage began late last night the networks knew who was responsible for the offical word about the rescue. No reporter would go into covering a story this important without knowing who or what organization have the official results. I recently retired from a 22 year career in newspaper reporting. I am ashamed of the media's disregard for verifying the reports before airing a false report.
Of course, the mine officals should not have waited so long to announce the true outcome. If the truth was known within 20 minutes of when the rumor starting, then it should have been corrected at that moment.
The suffering and anxiety of the waiting families was doubled IMO.
I feel for them.

 

[Juliana]

I haven't read everything on this thread yet but I wanted to add...I am a caver (not too much recently tho), I have been involved on some cave rescues. Being trapped or injured in a cave is much like being trapped in a mine (without the dangerous fumes). I do understand how the miscommunication may have occured. Please realize that the rescuers worked many long hours without sleep or food. I am sure many of them were on the point of exhaustion when the false news broke out. Even in this day of cell phones, it is not easy to get communications to the ground level from underground without some complications, they have to basically run a line from where the incident occured to ground level...this involves several hundred feet to several thousand feet of obstacles in the way....especially during a mine collapse. In my opinion, the news media was too news hungry to wait for clear, concise facts. They simply overheard bits and pieces on the ground level that was coming in bits and pieces from underground (much like the old game of telephone we used to play...First person relays a sentence and by the time it gets to the last person it is totally way off base of the original). In their hurry to get the news out FIRST, they didn't stop to confirm. In the media's defense...by the time the real news came out...many newspapers were already printed and in route to being delivered...no time for a retraction. I do agree it is/was a bad situation for all involved and it's very heartbreaking. The company didn't race into give the good news, nor did it race to deny it. They simply didn't know. I do think there are some safety issues at stake with this property/company. To be honest when I first heard the news of the miners being stranded I didn't think any would come out alive. I do hope the survivor makes it. It is surely a lesson to be learned. In any cave rescue I have been involved with or heard of, there are always mistakes made and lessons learned. I do not think any intentionally sets out for these things to happen, but until you have been there and lived through something like this...do not judge those who truly had best intentions...the rescuers. My husband went on a cave rescue once and had to recover a body...those involved in such a tragedy will never forget it and always wish they could have done something different.

Thank you for the much-needed perspective on this awful chain of events. I agree - everyone had the best of intentions, and had probably never found themselves in the midst of such an awful situation before. Hopefully people will just focus on helping the family members and community find some peace.

imo

 

[fivekidz4me]

You know Scandi a freind of mine at work said something that has been on my mind all day.I am just hoping we here what happened in the mine from the survior when he can talk about it, But my friend said it would be incrdiable if we find out that the reason this young man is alive. Is because the other miners being older gave him thier oxygen. Since he was the young one of the bunch.And hearing stories today how all miners are family to each other.It would not surprise me.

I was thinking the same thing when I heard the one young man survived.

 

[Mimi]

I haven't read all this either- just skimmed this last page on the thread but just wanted to add- although it might already have been said- the media did wrong in not verifying their facts-yes- BUT remember, they are human too and after all the anticipation and anguish in waiting, they too probably wrought with emotion and exhaustion, wanted to believe in miracles and so grabbed onto those whispers as gospel and spread the word that they knew everyone so desperately wanted and prayed to hear-not wise to have jumped the gun no- but human and without ill intention-it is time to mourn the losses and support the families- not fight over who said or reported what and when-let's hope this so very distressing situation does not become compounded by laying blame where it doesn't belong-bottom line- the explosion in the mine is the culprit-not the media or the brave men who tried to save the lost miners..god bless them all!

 

[BadRx]

You know Scandi a freind of mine at work said something that has been on my mind all day.I am just hoping we here what happened in the mine from the survior when he can talk about it, But my friend said it would be incrdiable if we find out that the reason this young man is alive. Is because the other miners being older gave him thier oxygen. Since he was the young one of the bunch.And hearing stories today how all miners are family to each other.It would not surprise me.

My mother and I said the exact same thing this morning when CNN reported that Randall's air pack was still operating. Because it was my understanding that these packs only lasted for an hour to an hour and a half. How then could his pack still be operational?

 

[JDB]

My mother and I said the exact same thing this morning when CNN reported that Randall's air pack was still operating. Because it was my understanding that these packs only lasted for an hour to an hour and a half. How then could his pack still be operational?

If and it is anIF right now. If these 12 others did it. They are heroes in my eyes.

 

[fivekidz4me]

My mother and I said the exact same thing this morning when CNN reported that Randall's air pack was still operating. Because it was my understanding that these packs only lasted for an hour to an hour and a half. How then could his pack still be operational?

I read that they had individual air purifying systems that would give them 7 hours of clean air.

 

[MrsMush99]

If and it is anIF right now. If these 12 others did it. They are heroes in my eyes.

I would like to think that that is a possiblity, but I highly doubt it. One reason being is that there was another young man who died. He was only a year older then Randal McCloy. I guess we'll soon know what happened.

 

[Sassygerl]

I would like to think that that is a possiblity, but I highly doubt it. One reason being is that there was another young man who died. He was only a year older then Randal McCloy. I guess we'll soon know what happened.

Yes, I agree. On one of the networks they discussed the possibility, but said that all the men were found wearing them. Like you said, time will tell. I also heard that after the initial 1-2 hours the masks filters the air for up to 7 hours. I'm so thankful McCloy is recovering and hope he will be able to shed some light on what happened.

 

[Linda7NJ]

My mother and I said the exact same thing this morning when CNN reported that Randall's air pack was still operating. Because it was my understanding that these packs only lasted for an hour to an hour and a half. How then could his pack still be operational?

I don't think so. I think his collapsed lung and shallow breathing saved him.

 

[txsvicki]

I haven't read all this either- just skimmed this last page on the thread but just wanted to add- although it might already have been said- the media did wrong in not verifying their facts-yes- BUT remember, they are human too and after all the anticipation and anguish in waiting, they too probably wrought with emotion and exhaustion, wanted to believe in miracles and so grabbed onto those whispers as gospel and spread the word that they knew everyone so desperately wanted and prayed to hear-not wise to have jumped the gun no- but human and without ill intention-it is time to mourn the losses and support the families- not fight over who said or reported what and when-let's hope this so very distressing situation does not become compounded by laying blame where it doesn't belong-bottom line- the explosion in the mine is the culprit-not the media or the brave men who tried to save the lost miners..god bless them all!

I will leave that up to the families of the victims to decide because they may want to find out if the safety violations could have caused this. There was anger and outrage in some of the families due to the intentional false hopes that were allowed to go on for quite awhile there. One lady there said it was three hours.

 

[Sassygerl]

I don't think so. I think his collapsed lung and shallow breathing saved him.

Good point Linda....never thought about the collapsed lung! Prayers for his recovery.....I didn't feel as hopeful for a full recovery tonight after listening to the Dr. on Larry King, but he is showing signs of progress thankfully!

 

[scandi]

I don't think so. I think his collapsed lung and shallow breathing saved him.

I think you are right on the money Linda!

Buzz, your story about the oldmines in Penn, was really interesting. They were open to the sky?

And JDB, your post just shows me what kind of a person you are. :blowkiss: The thought of it!

There is something no one has really caught in all these conversations, and I wish I had it verbatim. Mr Hatfield mentioned they got a report early from the rescue team after they found the 12 men that they might be unconscious or in a coma. He said that is what the rescue team was thinking, and it was in one of his statements.

I do believe like someone here stated, that these men could have been close to death, and in giving them oxygen masks in that barricaded room it caused them to die as it was too much for their system.

When my Dad was taken to the hospital for the last time he died in the ambulance because they gave him too much oxygen. They revived him, but it could be the same principle. They said the survivor was having a hard time breathing. I bet they all were. My dad had emphazema {sp}. It makes sense to me.

And the other thought I have deep down in my being is that the guys knew the gas they had been breathing caused irreversible damage to their bodies so they accepted their fate of death. But what if they held out until they heard the voices of the rescuers before they died? It would mean a kind of completion for them of their job that they loved, dying together with their buddies and in the end they had been found to give their families comfort.



Scandi

 

[indigomood]

I think you are right on the money Linda!

Buzz, your story about the oldmines in Penn, was really interesting. They were open to the sky?

And JDB, your post just shows me what kind of a person you are. :blowkiss: The thought of it!

There is something no one has really caught in all these conversations, and I wish I had it verbatim. Mr Hatfield mentioned they got a report early from the rescue team after they found the 12 men that they might be unconscious or in a coma. He said that is what the rescue team was thinking, and it was in one of his statements.I do believe like someone here stated, that these men could have been close to death, and in giving them oxygen masks in that barricaded room it caused them to die as it was too much for their system.

When my Dad was taken to the hospital for the last time he died in the ambulance because they gave him too much oxygen. They revived him, but it could be the same principle. They said the survivor was having a hard time breathing. I bet they all were. My dad had emphazema {sp}. It makes sense to me.

And the other thought I have deep down in my being is that the guys knew the gas they had been breathing caused irreversible damage to their bodies so they accepted their fate of death. But what if they held out until they heard the voices of the rescuers before they died? It would mean a kind of completion for them of their job that they loved, dying together with their buddies and in the end they had been found to give their families comfort.



Scandi

Scandi, I remember hearing something in that presser that gave me the impression that some of the miners may have been alive (although barely) at initial rescue but expired in the interim. I believe ICG Ben Hatfield eluded to that during his presser in which he expressed regret to the families... it was during the Q and A afterwards but I cannot find a transcript of it. I wish i could remember what it was he said that made me take pause...

 

[PrayersForMaura]

....to make the very difficult decision to grab the nearest most reliable news source....I would have chosen CNN, and to break the silence immediately, announcing something like I stated a couple of posts above...

This is a CEO's job....his responsibility....he should have ran to the church and told the people the truth....should have grabbed a CNN reporter by the throat and done an emergency news conference...

These are the kids of responsibilites you accept when you are a CEO/exec....you cannot push things off on someone else...

Ummmm...I think it's called taking corporate and personal responsibility...

Mr. Hatfield ****ed up...

CEOs run companies and make corporate decisions on how to run the business. Usually it's the PR person at the company or the "crisis management" team that take control of situations like these to resolve the conflict and feed the proper way to handle situations to CEOs.
CEOs are businessmen, not necessarily communicators.
They have staffs that help them manage their communications. Just like the President of the US has someone help him prepare for his speeches.

Just because someone has a "title" and manages, owns or operates a company doesn't make him or her a God.
I think sometimes people don't understand what goes along with a job title.
Instead, people just want to blame the top person in charge because their name is the one most known.
I can understand that. It doesn't mean that this line of thinking is correct though. Or even logical. It's often emotionally based.
This is just my opinion on the matter though.

 

[Mygirlsadie]

I heard some doctor told them that the guys wanted to see their families first, but that it depended on their health situation....something like that. Anyway I dont think anybody really said anything ''official'' I think it was alot of rumors and good rumors tend to spread without anybody really caring if its true or not. And I agree with you its not Mr Hatfields fault by any means. He is the CEO in my opinion those families are extremely lucky he even showed up at the tragedy to beging with. Most CEO's would of just sent an assistant or something. This guy was hands on the whole time, he waited on giving out information until he had CONFIRMED information to give. Of course he will be blamed because anyone in power gets blamed for everything..If this CEO never showed up there, then everybody would be blaming President Bush for this.

I think he did the very best he could under terrible circumstances. It's not his fault. Seems to me he had the best of intentions and wanted to return those men safely to their families. My understanding he did try to get the message through. Maybe you & he think he should have run down there himself and told them, but I don't.


I would bet my bottom dollar the families were instructed early on to reply only on the information relayed by specific people. Sadly, it seems they all ( understandably) jumped the gun too.
I want to know who told them that their loved ones would be meeting them at the church!

 

[Details]

It might have been a hypothetical answer that got taken too seriously - when they heard the 12 were alive, a person could have asked one of the doctors or nearby personel if they'd be able to see them before they went to the hospital, and gotten an answer that they could if their health was good enough - that kind of statement could easily get 'telephone'd'' into a statement that the miners wanted to see their families first and would be allowed if...

 

[IdahoMom]

I heard some doctor told them that the guys wanted to see their families first, but that it depended on their health situation....something like that. Anyway I dont think anybody really said anything ''official'' I think it was alot of rumors and good rumors tend to spread without anybody really caring if its true or not. And I agree with you its not Mr Hatfields fault by any means. He is the CEO in my opinion those families are extremely lucky he even showed up at the tragedy to beging with. Most CEO's would of just sent an assistant or something. This guy was hands on the whole time, he waited on giving out information until he had CONFIRMED information to give. Of course he will be blamed because anyone in power gets blamed for everything..If this CEO never showed up there, then everybody would be blaming President Bush for this.

I agree mygirlsadie! :clap:

 

[cheko1]

The families went thru such raw emotions....worry/ fear/ anxiety/ hysteria/ dread/ how there lives may change / the what ifs? / each sufferiing there private hell from the unknown / also each knew about the problems the mine had & blamed the Co for it.

When word arrived they were safe more raw emotions happiness/ to elated
all would be well / thanking God & the celebrating began.

3 hrs later there worlds came crashing down on them again. Only this time it would be permanent. The truth they never wanted to hear slapped them down. Emotions can do very strange things to people. It probably was more then most people could handle.

A miracle did occur in the mine....I wish him & his family the best.