Family takes action after grandmother falls 30 feet into abandoned mine shaft

A wrongful decease suit filed by the household of a Pennsylvania pistillate who died successful 2024 aft falling into a sinkhole supra an abandoned excavation shaft alleges that the spot proprietor and U.S. Steel failed to instrumentality capable measures to mitigate the risks posed by the mine.

Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was searching for her cat, Pepper, with her 5-year-old granddaughter successful Westmoreland County successful December 2024 erstwhile she went missing. Pollard had parked her car adjacent Monday's Union Restaurant, wherever authorities located the conveyance hours later, according to WTAE-TV.

"The Pollard household is looking for answers and accountability," the family's attorney, Mark Malone, said. "They don’t privation their wife, their mom, and their grandmother’s sanction to mean thing successful death."

Pollard’s granddaughter was recovered wrong the vehicle, frightened but different unharmed.

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An detonation occurred astatine the US Steel Clairton Coke Works works successful Clairton, Pa., connected Aug. 11, 2025, resulting successful astatine slightest 1 decease and aggregate injuries, officials said. The household of a Pennsylvania pistillate is suing the alloy shaper successful a wrongful decease suit aft she died from falling into a sinkhole supra an abandoned mine. (Rebecca Droke/AFP)

The car was parked lone feet distant from the sinkhole. Following a four-day, around-the-clock betterment effort, crews recovered Pollard deceased 30 feet beneath ground. The origin of decease was determined to beryllium blunt unit trauma.

"Elizabeth Pollard should inactive beryllium alive. The defendants’ alleged nonaccomplishment to supply and support a harmless situation caused her preventable and untimely death," Morgan & Morgan laminitis John Morgan and Malone said successful a associated statement. "This suit seeks to clasp these entities accountable for their alleged negligence, which has robbed a household of a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. The Pollards merit justice, and we volition combat to guarantee nary different household is forced to endure a devastating nonaccomplishment similar this."

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The US Steel logo is disposable connected a rotation of alloy earlier the president spoke during a rally astatine US Steel's Irvin Works successful West Mifflin, Pa., connected May 30, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

The suit alleges that U.S. Steel, the proprietor of the mine, and the restaurant, which owns the aboveground property, were liable for the attraction and information of the area. The suit further claims the crushed was susceptible to illness aft years of mining and that nary measures were taken to code the known risks.

"The edifice is included due to the fact that they’re the spot owner. They’re a indispensable enactment astatine this point," Malone said. "Their cognition of the spot since they purchased and operated it is cardinal to the lawsuit."

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Fox News Digital has reached retired to U.S. Steel, the restaurant, and the plaintiffs' attorneys for comment.

The sinkhole led to the Marguerite Mine, which was developed and aboriginal abandoned by the H.C. Frick Coke Co. by the mediate of the past century, arsenic reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.