ROCK SPRINGS – A Rock Springs man was killed in an industrial mishap early Sunday morning.
In a joint release, Sweetwater County Sheriff Rich Haskell and County Coroner Dale Majhanovich said Mark Christopher Stassinos, 44, was operating a bulldozer at Bridger Coal east of Rock Springs at around 2:38 a.m. when the machine went off a high wall and plunged down to the wall’s base.
Stassinos, the dozer’s lone occupant, was thrown from the cab and died from injuries he sustained.
The Mine Safety and Health Administration was notified and will continue the investigation. Majhanovich said an autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday in Loveland, Colorado.
The following is a statement from Rocky Mountain Power Concerning the incident, “Yesterday October 6, there was an accident in the surface mining operation of the Bridger Coal Mine near Rock Springs, Wyoming. The accident resulted in the death of Chris Stassinos, an employee of the mine for the last two years. The bulldozer he was driving went over an approximately 160-foot highwall.
Mining operations have stopped as the investigation continues. We at PacifiCorp and Idaho Power Company are shaken by the news and our thoughts and prayers go out to family, friends, coworkers and the community. We are cooperating fully with all agencies involved in the investigation.”
