April 17, 2008 - Mine Owner, Workers Charged with Manslaughter in Blast

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Harrisburg, Pa. – An owner and two employees of a Pennsylvania mine were charged with involuntary manslaughter for a 2006 explosion that killed a miner, Dale Reightler.

David Zimmerman, co-owner and operator of R&D Coal Co. and two of the company’s employees—Steven Zimmerman and Jeffrey Klinger—were charged with manslaughter on Monday in connection with the October 2006 explosion at Buck Mountain Slope Mine.

A grand jury found David and Steven Zimmerman responsible for dangerous conditions in the mine. Klinger was found responsible for failure to follow safety procedures in the detonation that caused the explosion, according to the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office.

The inadequately ventilated mine contained a dangerous amount of methane gas due to the company’s failure to monitor the mine’s methane levels through pre-shift inspections, the attorney general said.

R&D was cited for flagrant violations of federal mine safety regulations and fined $874,500 following Reightler's death.

The company’s other co-owner committed suicide in October.

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