Former Massey Energy CEO could get 31 years in prison in Upper Big Branch mine deaths
The former CEO of Massey Energy Co. goes on trial today in U.S. District Court in Charleston, West Virginia in a case that could set a precedent for corporate higher-ups being held accountable for the safety of their workers.
Don Blankenship was head of the company when an April 5, 2010 explosion at its Upper Big Branch coal mine in Montcoal, West Virginia killed 29 miners – the worst disaster in U.S. mining history.