Miner died after being airlifted to hospital

A miner who was airlifted Monday from the Wolverine Mine to Whitehorse with injuries that did not appear threatening died shortly after arriving at Whitehorse General Hospital.

A miner who was airlifted Monday from the Wolverine Mine to Whitehorse with injuries that did not appear threatening died shortly after arriving at Whitehorse General Hospital.

Paul Wentzell, a 20-year-old Newfoundlander who was living in Alberta, was working underground when he was injured at approximately 9 a.m. Monday.

Wentzell arrived at Whitehorse General at about 12:20 p.m., but died 48 minutes later at 1:08, Yukon coroner Sharon Hanley said this morning.

The man’s body has been sent to Vancouver for an autopsy, she said.

The RCMP are reporting Wentzell was struck by a vehicle that was believed to be unoccupied.

Wentzell was an employee of Procon Mining and Tunnelling Ltd. That is the company contracted to help prepare the mine for production next year, Raymond Mah, chief operating officer for Yukon Zinc, explained in an interview this morning.

He said an investigating team was expected to arrive today from the office of the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board.

“This is a sad day for Yukon Zinc and Procon, and on behalf of our management and staff, we express our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of our deceased colleague,” Mah said.

“Both Yukon Zinc and Procon place great emphasis on mine safety and will continue promoting safety programs to ensure that a culture and mindset of safety first is maintained throughout the company.”

Underground work has been halted until the investigation is complete, Mah said.

Procon president Ed Yurkowski said this morning from Vancouver that Wentzell was conscious after the accident and initial assessment suggested his injuries were not life-threatening.

But it was decided as a precaution to fly him into Whitehorse on a return crew-exchange flight for further examination just in case, he said.

The Wolverine mine is located in the Finlayson district, 180 kilometres southeast of Ross River.