Edward Irby

Edward Irby disappeared on 13th April 1997 when a bulldozer he was driving at work in a goldmine near Fairbanks, Alaska slid down a hill, broke the ice on a lake and sank to the bottom. There were no witnesses to the accident and Irby’s body was never found. It was his only his third day learning how to drive the bulldozer. State divers found rocks in the cabin of the sunken bulldozer. Despite three further dive trips no body was found. The diving conditions were appalling with divers unable to locate the bottom of the lake through the mud. When Irby’s window tried to have Edward declared dead in 1997 the court ruled that were was insufficient evidence. Six years later Edward Irby’s son tried again, this time the jury ruled that Irby had died as the result of a workplace accident.

The family applied for death benefits but the company, Fairbanks Gold Mining, refused to pay, claiming that Irby had faked his death although they failed to provide any evidence that he was still alive. The mining company appealed to the High Court who reversed the decision on the grounds that the Irby family had not submitted a timely claim. This decision was further overturned by the Supreme Court and they were ordered to pay death benefits.

http://www.adn.com/2009/03/21/731987/fairbanks-mine-ordered-to-pay.html

Death where no body has yet been found: Richey Edwards, Peter Falconio