Elevator Crushes Tour Guide to Death in Front of Tourists

They were traumatized because they were covered.A 1 ,000 -foot descent into a historic gold mine becomes a waking nightmare, leaving tourists helplessly trapped underground.The following footage has never been seen before.In Cripple Creek, Colorado, on the afternoon of October 10th, 2024, an elevator carrying men, women, and children began its descent into the Molly Kathleen gold mine for its third tour of the day.but halfway down at nearly 500 feet below the surface, the elevator ground to a sudden halt.No one on the surface knew what had happened until a woman began screaming from the depths.

She emerged from the shaft after climbing the ladder lining its walls, physically exhausted, claiming that someone was dead.After a 911 call, deputies quickly arrived to assess the situation.How many tracks?

Well, you got 11 at 500 feet, and then there's another group at 1 ,000 feet.

How many do we know now?

We think it's going to be 25 total.And you've got one confirmed deceased, made it 500 feet.

He's now off the top.

He was an employee.He's at the yacht.

The deceased employee is later identified as the group's tour guide, 46 -year -old Patrick Walter Weier.Though the deputies assumed that he fell from the shaft's opening, Patrick was actually inside the elevator with the tour group at the time of their descent.What led to his death is far more horrifying than a fall.and witness accounts will soon paint a terrifying picture of his final moments.For now, nearly a dozen tourists, including two young children, remain trapped with his body beneath the surface.Who's this girl that's sitting over here?

She's the one who got out.

They called?

How did she get out?

In the basket?

Trent, the manager of the mine, is currently down below, helping the hoist operator as theelevator is slowly raised 100 feet at a time.The shaft is almost completely dark, and with no way of knowing what will emerge from below, rescuers hang a white sheet around the loading bay to shield bystanders from a sight that could leave them forever scarred.The single sheet, however, won't be enough to protect anyone from what they're about to see.As the elevator nears the surface, rescue workers brace for the possibility that the freed tourists will panic.

So if this gets chaotic, everybody, Chris is going to tell people not to step over the edge.25 to 30 feet.Terry, everything else goes to Terry.You guys should be able to see it now.

So don't listen to me, don't listen to cops, don't listen to whatever.Just do what Terry says so we can trust people.

We got it.We got people in the basket.

The tourists that emerge from the lower compartment are in a shocking state, with their clothes and hard hats soaked in blood.Those in the upper level must wait for their turn to exit, and it quickly becomes clear why there's panic in their voices.

Who's left on the wall?Is there anybody left on the wall?

Once the tourists are out, all that remains in the upper compartment is the mangled body of Patrick Wire, his twisted, broken form pointing to an unimaginably horrific death.What's even more chilling is the fact that he was in the lower compartment when the elevator began its descent, not yet aware of what caused his demise and unclear on the safety of the elevator.Deputies are now left with the realization that there's a second group of tourists still in the mine 1 ,000 feet below, with no way to bring them out.As news of a tragedy at the mine starts to spread, Patrick's loved ones begin frantic attempts to call and text, unaware of what happened to him.But as the witnesses are far too traumatized to coherently explain, first responders are left with only pieces of the full story.The doors to each compartment are designed to be held in place by a metal latch, which prevents it from opening during the descent.

But the door to the lower compartment has been torqued.completely.But it wasn't until the witnesses are able to calmly recount the terrifying ordeal that the truth of what happened finally falls into place.As the tour began, seven people, including two children, were loaded into the upper compartment.It was then raised, allowing the remaining tourists to enter the lower section.Many noticed that it was cramped inside when Patrick himself got on, and that he struggled to close the door, attempting and failing several times.

A woman suggested that Patrick try to reload the carts, as there was more room in the compartment above them, but by her account, he ignored the concerns.Eventually, Patrick managed to close the door and signaled to the hoist operator to begin their descent.but due to how packed it was in the lower compartment, the latch wasn't properly secured, causing the door to catch on the wall of the mine shaft at around 500 feet, where it began ripping from the frame and scraping along the wall.Witnesses recall hearing Patrick begin to shout, I can't stop it, oh, oh, Patrick then reached for the bell that would signal the hoist operator to stop the elevator, ringing it several times, but as he did so, he fell, his body slipping into the small space between the wooden walland the elevator's frame.His body ricocheted, and as the elevator continued moving downward, he was dragged upward along the wall.

As a result, Patrick suffered catastrophic injuries, including severe trauma to the back of his head, a crushed ribcage, detached heart, severed spleen, and a broken neck.No one could remember hearing Patrick scream, leading them to assume his death was instant.But while the traumatic moment ended quickly for Patrick, it was only beginning for those still trapped inside.As the elevator continued to descend and Patrick was dragged upward, his body was forced into the upper compartment, landing on a helpless woman and knocking her to the ground.But in the pitch black darkness of the shaft, no one was aware of what had pinned her down.Several tourists pulled out their cell phones to use as flashlights, and in a moment of pure horror, they clearly saw the brutalized body of their tour guide.

The two children began to panic, with one asking their dad to check if he was okay, but it was clear that Patrick was deceased.Those in the compartment below had no idea what happened and began to shout, saying the tour guide had gone missing.The children's mother eerily explained, he's in here.Though her words left them confused, the truth of her statement would quickly become apparent to everyone below, as blood from Patrick's body began seeping through the floor, raining onto their hard hats and soaking their faces and clothes.With no cell service to call 911, three women from the upper level began to climb the ladder lining the shaft to reach the surface and find help.Those who were left behind, including the two children, remained trapped with Patrick's body until their rescue.

Many of the tourists were taken to the hospital for treatment after suffering injuries during the ordeal, including the woman who was penned by Patrick's lifeless body.The cause of the accident was ultimately determinedto be operator error.And after Patrick's body was removed from the elevator, it was deemed safe to use, allowing rescuers to bring the second tour group to the surface.Although the mine passed the safety and compliance inspection in December of 2024, clearing it to reopen, the Molly Kathleen mine remains closed to tourists for the foreseeable future.Its website now thanks visitors for the many years they allowed them to share Colorado history.

As 46 -year -old Patrick Wire was a former United States Airman, a memorial procession was held in downtown Cripple Creek to honor his life and service.A GoFundMe established by Patrick's brother raised over $74 ,000, funds dedicated to supporting the future of Patrick's seven -year -old son.Watch our full videos as they were originally made with no randomly muted words or details cut.We've also dropped brand new EWU videos available only on EWU+.Available now on iOS, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Google TV.Download EWU +, and see what you've been missing.