Man who died in Wallace mining accident identified as more details emerge

The miner who died Tuesday at the Galena Complex near Wallace was 26-year-old Blaik Nutting, according to a preliminary report of the accident by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The report said the incident happened at 10:40 a.m. Tuesday when a slab of rock fell on him. Nutting was using a jack leg drill to install roof bolts.

Nutting, who has over five years of mining experience, died more than three hours after the accident, according to the report.

“We are shocked and saddened by this tragic loss,” said Darren Blasutti, president and CEO of Americas Gold and Silver Corporation, which operates the mine. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co-workers of our employee. Our primary focus is supporting those affected and working to fully understand the circumstances that led to this event and to prevent it from happening again in the future.”

On his Facebook page, Nutting said he went to Lake City High School in Coeur d’Alene and shared pictures of handmade leather goods he was selling for the 2022 holiday season.

A GoFundMe page organized by Nutting’s older brother had raised over $24,000 by Friday night. The post indicated Nutting left behind a wife and son.

“I know that I was supposed to be the example and the one to be aspired to, but it was you, Blaik, that I aspired to be,” the page reads. “You are the father I want to be, the man I want to be. You put your wife and son first and did what was best for them the best you could.”

Timothy Bush, 29, was the last miner to die at the Galena Mine, which happened in 2010, The Spokesman-Review reported at the time.

Bush was a former All-American football player at the University of Montana and standout athlete at Kellogg High School.

Bush was also hit by a falling slab of rock and died at Shoshone Medical Center.