Victim in Linwood Mining fatality was warned - Quad City Times

A longtime mine worker was not following safety protocols and warnings when he was killed one year ago in a collapse at Linwood Mine near Buffalo, investigators concluded.

Ronald Trich Jr., 52, of Rock Island, was fatally injured in the Jan. 25 collapse at the Scott County limestone mine.

Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration, or MSHA, investigate such accidents and determined the death was the result of Trich entering an area that was barricaded to warn miners of dangerous conditions.

The MSHA report indicates that Trich had a total of 25 years of mining experience, including nearly 12 years as a haul-truck driver at Linwood.

"Management's policy was to install berms around areas they deemed dangerous to prevent access," according to the report. "Miners were trained not to cross over berms and not to enter bermed-off areas."

Investigators said Trich violated the berm rule because he was searching for crystals, despite being warned against doing so. Linwood management "verbally warned Trich twice for going into barricaded areas to look for crystals."

Other miners also reported having warned Trich about crystal hunting in dangerous areas.

"Investigators believed Trich was searching for crystals when the rib failure occurred," according to the MSHA report. "They found a small hatchet and pry bar in the spoil pile during recovery.

"Additionally, investigators found crystals in Trich's haul truck and on his person."

Linwood employs 61 miners, including 24 who work underground.

According to his obituary, Trich was a married father of two sons.