Country Star Visits Sago Mine Survivor
Jan. 12, 2006 — -- Country-music star Hank Williams Jr. visited the sole survivor of the Sago Mine tragedy as investigators learned more about the accident that killed 12 miners.
Investigators now say the 13 miners, who were trapped for more than 41 hours in the mines, tried to escape, first by rail car, then on foot.
"They found footprints, which indicated somebody was traveling out by -- toward the seals," said Ray McKinney of the Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Randal McCloy Jr. is still hospitalized. His condition is stable, but he is still listed as critical. Doctors continue to attempt to rouse him from a coma.
Williams, well-known for opening "Monday Night Football," visited McCloy in the hospital on Wednesday.
"It's just something I have to do because I've been in that position before," Williams said.
In 1975, Williams fell more than 440 feet down a mountain, suffering severe facial and head injuries. He was visited in the hospital by June Carter and Johnny Cash, who Williams said helped him recover.
McCloy and his wife, Anna, are longtime Williams fans. In particular, they enjoy the song "A Country Boy Can Survive."
"We're just two regular people in a little tiny town that nobody knows of," Anna McCloy said. "All these people are reaching out and showing that they care about us."
Williams has promised to sing "A Country Boy Can Survive" for McCloy when he wakes from his coma.
"America does care," Williams said. "There are a whole lot of people pulling for Randy. I just happen to be one of them."
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