The man who died in a Colorado mine elevator accident was a 46-year-old father and tour guide there, officials said Friday as investigators try to understand what exactly occurred.
What Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell called a “very tragic accident” occurred as an elevator was about 500 feet down the 1,000-foot deep shaft at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near Cripple Creek at around noon Thursday.
The man killed was identified as Patrick Weier, who worked as a tour guide at the mine. Weier had a 7-year-old son and lived in Victor, a community of less than 400 in the area, officials said.
“Currently, we don’t know exactly what happened at 500 feet to cause this,” Mikesell said. “That’s something we’re working through.”
The elevator was on its descent when the accident occurred, he said.
The circumstances of Weier’s death were not disclosed, but Mikesell said investigators believe it was from the mechanical issue rather than a medical episode.
Some of the initial reports had the elevator experiencing a “drop,” but officials don’t know if it dropped or bounced, and there is no camera in the small elevator to show what happened, he said.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other agencies are also investigating.
Mikesell said the state does safety inspections and an official from that agency was on scene after the accident Thursday.
“I know it has passed its safety inspections,” Mikesell said, but he did not have the dates during Friday’s news conference.
The elevator is operated from a cab on the surface, he said.
In addition to Weier, 23 other people were brought up from the mine after the accident.
Eleven, including Weier, were on the elevator at the time. A group of 12 tourists and a guide was at the 1,000-foot level and was brought up later in elevator trips of four, the sheriff’s office said.
The mine said on its website that it had “experienced a tragic event.”
“We would like to send our prayers and condolences to everyone involved,” it said. It also thanked first responders and other emergency personnel, and said the mine is closed until further notice.
Gov. Jared Polis extended his condolences Thursday, and he will call Weier’s family when it’s appropriate, Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams said.
The White House also reached out following the incident, Williams said.
“Somebody once wrote, and I’m not preaching, I’m just telling you, that there’s a time for everything under the sun, you’ve heard that,” Williams said. “This is a time for mourning, right now.”