Question:
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) — A miner who didn’t make the trip underground that left nine of his colleagues trapped for 77 hours thanks his love of rock ‘n’ roll. Roger Shaffer, 22, was at Ozzfest 2002, heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s summer concert tour, on the day the nine miners became trapped after breaking through to an adjacent, flooded mine. The miners ended up stuck in a cramped and flooded shaft at the Quecreek Mine for 77 hours before they were rescued. Shaffer, an apprentice miner, had used one of his few vacation days to go to the July 24 concert, which had been rescheduled because Osbourne’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, had cancer surgery. "I have to thank Ozzy and (his) family, because if the events in their life weren’t going on, my events would have been a lot different," Shaffer said. Shaffer learned what happened to his crew while returning home after the concert near Pittsburgh. Shaffer drove to the site but couldn’t get in or learn much until daybreak. When he saw the thousands of gallons of water being pumped from the flooded mine, he doubted that his friends could have survived. "They’re all great guys, they’d do anything for me. I’d like to do the same for them," he said. Crew leader Randy Fogle said Shaffer "drew the right card." Shaffer sat glued to the television July 27 when the good news broke that his buddies were alive. "Maybe if I was in there, I would have lost my life," Shaffer said. "I still do have an odd feeling now. I don’t know what it is." Unlike some of his fellow crew members, Shaffer said he plans to return underground if the mine reopens. He said he sees few options. He can’t afford school and is about a week away from taking a test to move up to a better pay scale. Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) — A miner who didn’t make the trip underground > that left nine of his colleagues trapped for 77 hours thanks his love of rock > ‘n’ roll. > Roger Shaffer, 22, was at Ozzfest 2002, heavy metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne’s > summer concert tour, on the day the nine miners became trapped after breaking > through to an adjacent, flooded mine. The miners ended up stuck in a cramped > and flooded shaft at the Quecreek Mine for 77 hours before they were rescued. > Shaffer, an apprentice miner, had used one of his few vacation days to go to > the July 24 concert, which had been rescheduled because Osbourne’s wife, Sharon > Osbourne, had cancer surgery. > "I have to thank Ozzy and (his) family, because if the events in their life > weren’t going on, my events would have been a lot different," Shaffer said. > Shaffer learned what happened to his crew while returning home after the > concert near Pittsburgh. > Shaffer drove to the site but couldn’t get in or learn much until daybreak. > When he saw the thousands of gallons of water being pumped from the flooded > mine, he doubted that his friends could have survived. > "They’re all great guys, they’d do anything for me. I’d like to do the same for > them," he said. > Crew leader Randy Fogle said Shaffer "drew the right card." > Shaffer sat glued to the television July 27 when the good news broke that his > buddies were alive. > "Maybe if I was in there, I would have lost my life," Shaffer said. "I still do > have an odd feeling now. I don’t know what it is." > Unlike some of his fellow crew members, Shaffer said he plans to return > underground if the mine reopens. > He said he sees few options. He can’t afford school and is about a week away > from taking a test to move up to a better pay scale. > Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not > be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.