The movement of strata or ground failure, encompassing “Fall of Roof” and “Fall of Sides”, is one of the major causes of accidents in the underground coal mines in India. Although a lot of research has been carried out in India and abroad to address the stability of the roof and the required roof support measures, the stability of the sides has not received similar treatment in India. Despite being one of the major causes of accidents, the stability of the sides has not been given proper attention. However, as underground mining progresses to deeper horizons and mechanised single- lift extraction methods begin to be extensively adopted with increased height of extraction, the instability and vulnerability issues of the sides need focused attention. At deeper horizons, the direction and magnitude of horizontal stress play a major role in the stability of the sides, especially the interface between the pillar and the roof. The presence of massive, difficult-to-cave strata within the caving horizons, hidden slips in the coal seam, weak strata, fault zones, etc., often exacerbate the issue at hand. In the recent past, several instances of side falls have occurred at a few deep underground coal mines, causing fatal accidents leading to loss of human lives and man-hours. A few mitigation measures such as re-orientation of the galleries, leaving larger barrier pillars and installation of side supports have been adopted and found to improve the stability of sides. The present paper discusses the risks posed by side fall hazards and their mitigation measures elucidated using the case of an accident caused by a side fall that occurred at a deep underground coal mine in the recent past.