Warrior Met Coal Miner, 24, Dies in Apparent Machinery Accident

A miner died Wednesday evening after being found unresponsive underground at an active Tuscaloosa County coal mine, and no foul play is suspected, according to the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

Justin Calloway, 24, of Cordova, was reportedly found unresponsive at a Warrior Met Coal facility in the 22000 block of Highway 69 North in Berry at approximately 6 p.m. Wednesday. He was transported to the surface but did not survive.

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The Violent Crimes Unit responded to investigate, as is standard protocol for deaths in Tuscaloosa County, according to VCU Commander Captain Jack Kennedy.

Initial investigation indicates the death resulted from a machinery accident underground, and Kennedy said there is no reason to suspect foul play at this time.

The VCU is working with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences Medical Examiner's Office to determine the official cause and manner of death, and with federal agencies, including the Mine Safety and Health Administration, as they conduct their own investigation into the incident.

Warrior Met Coal is a Brookwood-based steelmaking coal producer with two active underground mines, No. 4 and No. 7, which are capable of producing up to 8 million metric tons of premium steelmaking coal per year at full capacity.

The company employs more than 1,400 people and exports to 35 countries, towing coal down Alabama rivers and shipping products from the Port of Mobile.

The company is also developing the Blue Creek Mining Complex, a new facility with access to approximately 119 million short tons of recoverable reserves and coal resources — one of the largest untouched steelmaking coal reserves in North America — projected to provide roughly 50 years of additional operating life and create more than 350 jobs.

Warrior Met Coal trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker HCC.

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