Late December workplace incidents in coal mining and construction left three workers dead and their families devastated.

In West Virginia, 21-year-old Raymond L. Starkey was fatally injured Dec. 23 while helping to repair a beltline at Murray Energy’s Marshall County Coal Co. Mine near Cameron. The incident is being investigated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the West Virginia Office of Miners’ Health, Safety and Training, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) safety experts and Murray Energy.

“We will not rest until we know the circumstances of Brother Starkey’s death, so that we can prevent something like this from ever happening again,” said UMWA President Cecil E. Roberts in a statement.

Starkey was the fourth West Virginia coal miner killed in a workplace incident in 2019.

On Christmas Eve in Washington, D.C., a construction worker died after being pinned between the bed and body of a dump truck. His identity has not yet been released to the media.

And on Dec. 30 in Fairfax County, Virginia, 55-year-old Nelson Aguilar-Salamanca died after an incident at a construction site. Aguilar-Salamanca, who was a sub-contractor, was reportedly hit by a rebar that fell as it was being lifted by a crane. He was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.