A lawsuit has been filed following the death of a grandmother who fell into a sinkhole above an abandoned mine outside a restaurant.RELATED VIDEO ABOVE: Breaking coverage after Elizabeth Pollard was recoveredElizabeth Pollard, 64, was with her grandchild, searching for a pet cat when she pulled over behind the Monday’s Union Restaurant in Westmoreland County in December of 2024.Pollard got out of her vehicle and fell into an approximately 20-foot deep sinkhole above an abandoned mine.It took four days to recover Pollard’s body which was found around 30 feet from where the mine would have sat and 12 feet from where the original sinkhole occurred. “Elizabeth Pollard should still be alive. The defendants’ alleged failure to provide and maintain a safe environment caused her preventable and untimely death. This lawsuit seeks to hold these entities accountable for their alleged negligence, which has robbed a family of a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. The Pollards deserve justice, and we will fight to ensure no other family is forced to endure a devastating loss like this,” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Mark Malone said in a statement.The lawsuit looks to hold both U.S. Steel and the owner of the restaurant responsible for her wrongful death. It alleges U.S. Steel, as the owners of the mine, and the restaurant, that owns the property, were responsible for the maintenance and safety of the area.The lawsuit claims the area where Pollard fell through the sinkhole was susceptible to collapse after years of mining, adding no one took measures to address the risk.
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. —
A lawsuit has been filed following the death of a grandmother who fell into a sinkhole above an abandoned mine outside a restaurant.
RELATED VIDEO ABOVE: Breaking coverage after Elizabeth Pollard was recovered
Elizabeth Pollard, 64, was with her grandchild, searching for a pet cat when she pulled over behind the Monday’s Union Restaurant in Westmoreland County in December of 2024.
Pollard got out of her vehicle and fell into an approximately 20-foot deep sinkhole above an abandoned mine.
It took four days to recover Pollard’s body which was found around 30 feet from where the mine would have sat and 12 feet from where the original sinkhole occurred.
“Elizabeth Pollard should still be alive. The defendants’ alleged failure to provide and maintain a safe environment caused her preventable and untimely death. This lawsuit seeks to hold these entities accountable for their alleged negligence, which has robbed a family of a beloved wife, mother, and grandmother. The Pollards deserve justice, and we will fight to ensure no other family is forced to endure a devastating loss like this,” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Mark Malone said in a statement.
The lawsuit looks to hold both U.S. Steel and the owner of the restaurant responsible for her wrongful death. It alleges U.S. Steel, as the owners of the mine, and the restaurant, that owns the property, were responsible for the maintenance and safety of the area.
The lawsuit claims the area where Pollard fell through the sinkhole was susceptible to collapse after years of mining, adding no one took measures to address the risk.