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Case study · MSHA Record #220251320013
Rotary Bucket Excavator Operator fatality
May 1, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Signal Peak Silica of Atascosa
· SP Silica of Atascosa, LLC
· Atascosa County, TX
Investigator narrative
EE was operating an excavator in Pit 2 at SPS Atascosa. Pit 2 is located between two tailings ponds. 9:18 AM one of the tailings ponds breached causing tailings mixture to flow into the work site. Tailings mixture tipped over the excavator EE was operating cab side down. The front window broke, tailings mixture engulfed the cab & 75% of the vehicle. Employee could not escape.
Record details
- Classification
- FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
- Accident type
- Struck by rolling or sliding object
- Activity at time
- Power Shovel, Dragline
- Subunit / location
- STRIP, QUARY, OPEN PIT
- Underground location
- NO VALUE FOUND
- Mining method
- NO VALUE FOUND
- Source of injury
- BROKEN ROCK,COAL,ORE,WSTE
- Nature of injury
- UNCLASSIFIED,NOT DETERMED
- Body part affected
- MULTIPLE PARTS (MORE THAN ONE MAJOR)
- Total mining experience
- 2 years
- Experience at this mine
- 2 years
- Experience in this job
- 2 years
- Mine type
- Surface
- Sector
- Metal/Non-Metal
Similar incidents in MSHA records
· same classification: FALLING/SLIDING/ROLLING MATERIALS
-
March 3, 2026 · North American Silica Sand, LLC · TX · Cement Worker
A contractor died after a concrete retaining wall collapsed into the excavated trench below crushing EE.
-
March 3, 2026 · North American Silica Sand, LLC · TX · Cement Worker
Unsure of what conditions contributed to the death
-
January 19, 2026 · Vermont Quarries Corp. · VT · Ledgeman/Hand
Nobody saw the accident and we have not been able to interview the EE