62 Quotes by Ben Hatfield

We have no interest in getting into finger-pointing of what went on a year ago. This is a mine that operated for some significant time before my company was involved with it.

We were trying to get them good information and in the process of being cautious, we allowed the jubilation to go on longer than it should have.

We determined we could move forward at a quicker pace by rehabilitating fewer entries and doing less construction on the way in. I believe we have the smartest, most talented people in the industry working as hard as they can to get the men out safely.

The only confirmed survivor is Randall McCloy, who has now been rushed to a local hospital in serious condition. The 11 remaining miners in the barricade structure were determined by the medical technicians on the rescue team to have already deceased.

We had no idea what they were being told.

Let's put this in perspective. Who do I tell not to celebrate? I didn't know if there were 12 or 1 (who were alive).

Rightly or wrongly, we made what we believed to be the best decisions ... while working under extreme stress and physical exhaustion.

I don't think anyone had a clue how much damage was about to be created. And we truly regret that.

We thought we had a celebration that would never end.