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

A wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of a Pennsylvania woman who died in 2024 after falling into a sinkhole above an abandoned mine shaft alleges the property owner and U.S. Steel failed to take adequate measures to mitigate the risks posed by the mine.

Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was searching for her cat, Pepper, with her 5-year-old granddaughter in Westmoreland County in December 2024 when she went missing. Pollard had parked her car near Monday’s Union Restaurant, where authorities located the vehicle hours later, according to WTAE-TV.

“The Pollard family is looking for answers and accountability,” the family’s attorney, Mark Malone, said. “They don’t want their wife, their mom and their grandmother’s name to mean nothing in death.”

Pollard’s granddaughter was found inside the vehicle, frightened but otherwise unharmed.

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The car was parked only feet away from the sinkhole. After a four-day, around-the-clock recovery effort, crews found Pollard dead 30 feet below ground. The cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma.

“Elizabeth Pollard should still be alive. The defendants’ alleged failure to provide and maintain a safe environment caused her preventable and untimely death,” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and Malone said in a joint statement. 

“This lawsuit seeks to hold these entities accountable for their alleged negligence, which has robbed a family of a beloved wife, mother and grandmother. The Pollards deserve justice, and we will fight to ensure no other family is forced to endure a devastating loss like this.”

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The lawsuit alleges that U.S. Steel, the owner of the mine, and the restaurant, which owns the surface property, were responsible for the maintenance and safety of the area. The suit further claims the ground was susceptible to collapse after years of mining and that no measures were taken to address the known risks.

“The restaurant is included because they’re the property owner. They’re a necessary party at this point,” Malone said. “Their knowledge of the property since they purchased and operated it is central to the lawsuit.”

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

The sinkhole led to the Marguerite Mine, which was developed and later abandoned by the H.C. Frick Coke Co. by the middle of the last century, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.