WEST VIRGINIA MINING DISASTER Tragedy Follows Inaction on Known Risks

Early last week we were shocked and saddened at the tragic loss of at least 25 men in a West Virginia mine. We subsequently learned that the mine was cited more than 50 times in the last month alone for uncorrected safety violations. 12 citations were for problems with ventilation and preventing methane gas buildup. Mining has always been dangerous and some accidents may be unavoidable. But if this tragedy was the result of a corporate refusal to correct known dangers, this is no accident and someone needs to be held accountable.
Last week we also learned Toyota illegally withheld information about unintended sudden acceleration dangers from federal investigators. Toyota warned European distributors about sudden acceleration due to sticking pedals long before it told U.S. regulators. The U.S. auto safety agency, NHTSA, fined Toyota a record $16.4 million.
We don’t yet know the extent of this cover-up. Transportation Secretary LaHood said he wouldn’t be surprised if review of Toyota documents uncovered other safety lapses. “This is the first thing that we have found,” he said. “It may not be the last thing.” Indeed, New York Congressman Towns reported earlier this year on Toyota documents that seem to suggest a cover-up of acceleration problems and solutions as far back as 2005. Just as with the mining disaster, if safety dangers and their solutions have been covered up or ignored resulting in death or injury to members of thousands of American families, we need to know it, and someone needs to be held accountable.