State investigators decided not to cite a specific cause for the November 2005 death of a coal truck driver, saying that their failure to fully examine the incident when it occurred left them without adequate evidence.

The state Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training issued its report this morning on the death of Chad Cook, a 25-year-old truck driver for contractor Savage Services at a Mettiki Coal complex in Grant and Tucker counties.

Cook, 25, was killed shortly after midnight on Nov. 8, 2005, when his coal truck ran off a haulroad, rolled over and collided with a guardrail, according to a State Police report.

Federal and state mine safety regulators did not investigate at the time, because they thought the accident occurred on a public road. Later, after Cook's family continued asking questions, the investigation was reopened when it was discovered the road was a state-permitted haulroad.

But Terry Farley, administrator for the state mine safety office, said the lack of a timely investigation hampered efforts to figure out what caused the accident. The report, Farley said, "doesn't attempt to draw conclusions in the way we usually would."

Read more in Thursday's Charleston Gazette.

State investigators decided not to cite a specific cause for the November 2005 death of a coal truck driver, saying that their failure to fully examine the incident when it occurred left them without adequate evidence.

The state Office of Miners Health, Safety and Training issued its report this morning on the death of Chad Cook, a 25-year-old truck driver for contractor Savage Services at a Mettiki Coal complex in Grant and Tucker counties.

Cook, 25, was killed shortly after midnight on Nov. 8, 2005, when his coal truck ran off a haulroad, rolled over and collided with a guardrail, according to a State Police report.

Federal and state mine safety regulators did not investigate at the time, because they thought the accident occurred on a public road. Later, after Cook's family continued asking questions, the investigation was reopened when it was discovered the road was a state-permitted haulroad.

But Terry Farley, administrator for the state mine safety office, said the lack of a timely investigation hampered efforts to figure out what caused the accident. The report, Farley said, "doesn't attempt to draw conclusions in the way we usually would."

Read more in Thursday's Charleston Gazette.