TCSO report: Elevator door wasn’t latched before fatal accident at Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine
TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - In October of 2024, a fatal accident occurred at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Teller County.
46-year-old Patrick Weier, a tour guide, was killed in the accident.
On January 16, 2025, the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety released the inspection report for the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine. The inspection report said that inspectors found Mollie Kathleen to be "satisfactorily compliant," and said there was no imminent or substantial danger to the public or employees.
The Teller County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) also said their investigation found the elevator incident was caused by an operator error.
According to our news partners in Denver, surveillance video showed that multiple witnesses reported before the accident that the bottom elevator car, which Weier was in, was crowded and he had trouble closing the door. Once he was able to get the elevator door closed, it wasn't latched properly before the car began its descent. Because it wasn't properly secured, the door came off its track and swung open when the elevator descended, according to the report. The sheriff's office report says that when Weier grabbed a cable to ring a bell to stop the elevator, he fell out of the car and was trapped between the elevator and the wall. His body ended up in the top elevator car. According to the report, an employee above ground heard the bell and stopped the elevator. People in the top elevator car then began to yell and tried to call 911, but they had no service. Two people climbed out of the top of the car and up a ladder and were met by a mine employee who was climbing down the ladder.
The TCSO said four of the tourists in the elevator suffered minor injuries.
The president of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, Dennis Lanning has issued the following statement:
"The Teller County Sheriff’s Office recently concluded its investigation into the incident that took place on October 10, 2024, at the Mollie Kathleen mine. This investigation determined that the incident was not the result of any of our practices or an issue with our mine elevator and hoist system. It is also our understanding that mining inspectors from the State of Colorado assisted the Teller County Sheriff’s Office with its investigation. Those inspectors determined that the Regulations of the Mine Safety and Training Program for Tourist Mines were met and that there is no imminent or substantial danger to the public or to our employees by the ongoing operation of the Mollie Kathleen mine. Given the outcome of this investigation, it is our intention to continue the operation of the Mollie Kathleen mine. All of us at the Mollie Kathleen Mine continue to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the family and friends of Patrick Weier. We also want to extend our best wishes to anyone else who may have been impacted by this unfortunate incident, including those who were at the mine that day, and we hope that they are all doing well."
The redacted report from the TCSO can be read below:
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