Tour guide at former Colorado gold mine fell out of elevator after apparently not latching door
DENVER — A tour guide killed at a former Colorado gold mine last year fell out of a crowded elevator taking tourists below ground after apparently not latching its door closed, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
DENVER — A tour guide killed at a former Colorado gold mine last year fell out of a crowded elevator taking tourists below ground after apparently not latching its door closed, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
As the elevator descended, the door swung out and caught the side of the mine shaft, the guide fell out, was dragged and ended up landing on top of one of the tourists as the elevator continued its descent, investigators determined.
The harrowing account of the October accident that killed Patrick Weier, 46, at the Mollie Kathleen Mine in the mountains near Colorado Springs was included in an investigative report obtained by AP in response to a public records request.
The sheriff’s office announced earlier this month that Weier’s death was caused by “operator error” but did not explain how he died or what the error was. State mining regulators inspected the mine after the accident and did not find any problems with the equipment there.
Steve Schafrik, a University of Kentucky associate professor of mining engineering, said that at commercial mining operations, an elevator will not move if the safety systems are not in place and functioning. However, he said he did not have experience with operations in former mines that are now only used for tours.
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