Randal McCloy

Randal L. McCloy Jr. (born April 14, 1979) of Simpson, West Virginia is a coal miner who was the sole survivor of the 2006 Sago Mine disaster.

McCloy was found, according to rescuers "by the sound of moans" and needed urgent resuscitation. Ben Hatfield, CEO of International Coal Group which owns the Sago mine reported that the rescuers, while treating him, had to walk 3/4 of a mile before taking a tram another two miles to the surface. There he was treated at a triage center set up at the mine, then taken by ambulance to St. Joseph's Hospital in nearby Buckhannon, at about 1:30 a.m on January 4, 2006. Hospital spokesperson Lisa Turner said that when found, McCloy was still wearing his breathing apparatus.

Susan Long, MD, a surgeon at St. Joseph's, said McCloy was unconscious but moaning when he arrived and was in critical condition. Long said McCloy's carbon monoxide levels were negative, he was dehydrated, but did not have visible burns. She stated, "We have no ideas what happened in there. We have no idea if he received trauma in there." She said he had no obvious wounds. "I think he was cold. I think he was in shock. He had no obvious trauma to his head or anywhere really."

After being stabilized, McCloy was transported by ambulance to a level 1 trauma center at West Virginia University's Ruby Memorial Hospital, 50 miles away in Morgantown.

McCloy was transferred to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the evening of January 5 [1], where he received infusions of oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber to counteract the effects of carbon monoxide. Unfortunately for McCloy, at the time of his rescue no provision had been made for emergency treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning, for which hyperbaric oxygen therapy is the standard therapy. There was not a hyperbaric oxygen tank anywhere close to the mines, nor even anywhere nearby in the state of West Virginia.

Tests showed McCloy to be suffering from brain hemorrhaging and edema, muscle injury, faulty liver and heart function. On January 7, Dr. Richard Shannon, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Allegheny General, stated that after receiving three hyperbaric treatments, McCloy was “not out of the woods” but was showing signs of improved brain stem and organ function. There was “evidence of neurological damage, but what can't be measured are the clinical consequences.” McCloy will need to be ventilated and dialyzed "for the foreseeable future.”

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On the evening of January 7, a helicopter returned McCloy, who was clinically stable, to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. On January 8, doctors there said that it had always been their plan to bring McCloy back to West Virginia after three days in Pittsburgh, citing strong family interests as one of the reasons for his return. They had stopped the medically induced coma [2] but said it could be hours or days before he would wake up and that he remained in critical condition.

At a press conference on the morning of January 9, Larry Roberts, MD, director of the Jon Michael Moore Trauma Center, the emergency treatment branch of Ruby Memorial at West Virginia University Hospitals, stated that McCloy was breathing on his own, but still attached to a ventilator. His lungs were inflated and he remained unchanged neurologically. They said it was too soon to know if the sedative medication had cleared his system.

At a press briefing on January 10, Roberts reported that McCloy remained in a coma and had a mild fever. Julian Bailes, MD, chair of neurosurgery, reported that McCloy's EEG test showed considerable brain wave activity and that an MRI had helped pinpoint which areas of the brain were injured by carbon monoxide exposure.

On January 10, the hospital announced that it had established a web page for written updates and that there would be no further briefings until there was a significant change in McCloy's condition.

On January 15, the hospital stated that it had upgraded McCloy's condition from "critical" to "serious" because he was breathing on his own without a ventilator.

On January 17, doctors at Ruby Memorial Hospital announced that McCloy had been removed from intensive care but that he had not regained consciousness and they do not know "how much of his physical and mental abilities he will recover."

On January 18, two weeks after being rescued from the mine, McCloy began to show signs of awakening, according to CNN. He began to open his eyes, respond to family members, and move all of his extremities. Doctors considered this to be a very optimistic sign although reiterated that he still had a long way to go.

On January 20, a press release from the hospital indicated that McCloy was able to chew and swallow a cracker, although he still has a feeding tube.

On January 23, another press release from the hospital announced that McCloy had been upgraded from "serious" to "fair" condition. His kidneys were regaining function and he was reacting to visitors, although still remained unable to speak.

On January 25, Dr. Larry Roberts of Ruby Memorial Hospital announced that McCloy had emerged from a light coma, but still could not speak. He is able to respond to simple commands and follow movements with his eyes. He also is able to chew and swallow soft foods.

On January 26, West Virginia Hospitals announced that McCloy had been transferred from Ruby Memorial to its HealthSouth Mountainview Regional Rehabilitation Hospital in Morgantown. He was responsive and could eat. Russell Biundo, M.D, a rehabilitation specialist who treated McCloy at Ruby Hospital would oversee his care. [3]

Around February 15, reports came that McCloy was slowly learning to speak again, answering questions with one-word responses and some short phrases. Although this is one more step toward recovery, doctors are still gauging whether he has sustained permanent brain damage from the oxygen deprivation he suffered while trapped in the mine. [4]

On March 15, Anderson Cooper reported that McCloy visited his home for a "home cooked meal" that included barbecued ribs and macaroni salad.

On March 30, MSN Video posted an exclusive video about Randal McCloy from the Today Show. The 15-minute clip includes one-on-one video interviews with Mr. McCloy and his wife. In the video, McCloy appears well capable of communicating and interacting verbally. He mentions that he is frustrated with the speed of his recovery. In the video, he remembers parts of the mining incident, but has difficulty knowing what month or year it currently is.

In late April, 2006, McCloy revealed that four of the air packs failed in the tragedy.

• 'Sound of moans' led rescuers to surviving miner CNN. January 4 2006
• Mine survivor showing improvement in blood, heart Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 6 2006
• Miner remains in critical condition at Ruby West Virginia University News Release. January 8 2006
• Surviving miner's condition unchanged West Virginia University News Release. January 10 2006
• The Latest Information on the Condition of Randal McCloy Healthcare at West Virginia University
• McCloy’s Condition Still ‘Serious’ West Virginia University New Release. January 16 2006
• West Virginia miner leaves intensive care CNN. January 17 2006
• Mine accident survivor takes first food by mouth West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center. January 20 2006
• McCloy’s Condition Upgraded to Fair West Virginia University, Health Sciences Center. January 23 2006
• Survivor of mine explosion leaves hospital CNN. January 26 2006
• Sago Mine Survivor Learning To Speak CBS. February 15 2006