Fallen miners were not far from safety

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Slide show

Miners mourned
Friends and relatives remember the 12 trapped miners who died at the Sago Mine. Click "Launch" to view images.

More on the disaster

A blow to the coal industry

Profiles of miners

Fact file: High stakes of coal mining

Slide show: Agonizing wait

A survivor clings to life
The surviving miner, 26-year-old Randal McCloy Jr., remained hospitalized in Morgantown. He had been in a medically induced coma to allow his brain time to heal, and while hospital officials said in a statement Sunday that his sedation had been stopped, they said it would take awhile for the medication to clear his system.

Then testing can begin to determine the extent of the damage McCloy suffered in the mine.

Dr. Larry Roberts, the head of McCloy’s treatment team at West Virginia University’s Ruby Memorial Hospital, said McCloy had shown signs of improvement since Saturday but remained in critical condition.

McCloy’s wife, Anna, asked that attention focus on those whose lives were to be remembered.

“We are thinking of them today and throughout this difficult time and we ask you to please keep all the families in your thoughts and prayers,” she said.

Near the end of Groves’ service, Rose asked all the coal miners in the crowd to stand and be recognized. To the 10 who stood, Rose said, “You are the backbone of this state and this country. Always hold your head high and tell everyone you’re a coal miner.”

He then ended the service with the same words Jerry always used to bid his family farewell.

“I’ll see you in a little bit.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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