Manager Who Operated Crane Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Quarry Worker’s Death

An upstate New York court last week accepted a mine manager’s guilty plea to manslaughter in the second degree over the death of a worker in 2022.

According to prosecutors, Anthony Valente, a mine manager at a Grafton limestone quarry, admitted to causing Darren Miller’s death by “recklessly disregarding and overriding safety features” of a crane Valente was operating, which resulted in a piece of the crane striking Miller, a 35-year-old mechanic, and causing his death.

The guilty plea follows an investigation into the worker’s death at the R J Valente Grafton Quarry by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Investigators determined that Valente overrode a crane’s safety features when he used it to lower a replacement engine into a haul truck. Miller was guiding the engine into place when the crane’s overhaul hook ball detached and fell on him.

MSHA found the crane was tagged “out of service” during prior inspections, but the investigation revealed that Valente operated the damaged crane without repairing it.

After its investigation, MSHA cited the mining company for failing to remove the damaged crane from service and for not ensuring Miller stayed clear of suspended loads as he worked to replace the haul truck’s engine.

The manager agreed to serve a six-month jail sentence and five years of probation. He is expected to report to jail on June 14, 2024.