“Operator Error” to Blame for Deadly Elevator Mishap in Colorado Mine

The deadly incident has been attributed to “operator error”; image courtesy of goldminetours dot com.

“Operator error” rather than an equipment malfunction was the cause of an October 10, 2024, elevator mishap at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in the mountains near Colorado Springs, Colorado, in which a 46-year-old male tour guide died, outlets including the Times-Union report, citing the Associated Press. The Teller County Sheriff’s Office said little else about the investigation into what caused the incident at the former mine, now a popular tourist attraction, other than saying the mine met state regulations. The malfunction occurred at approximately 500 ft down when the operator stopped the unit when he “felt something strange.” Those on board were brought back up within 20 min, but 12 adults at the bottom of the mine were trapped approximately 1,000 ft down for roughly 6 h while engineers checked the system. The case has been ruled an accident and closed.

Get more of Elevator World. Sign up for our free e-newsletter.

Please enter a valid email address.
Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Rendering of the outdoor elevator; image via The Japan News

Japan Castle To Get Outdoor Elevator

Inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport; photo by Robert Polidori for SOM

Lack of Adequate VT Sparks Concern in Mumbai, India

The Alpha Matar team; image courtesy of Alpha Matar

Alpha Matar Signs Cooperation Protocol With Sunrise Hotels Group

Images courtesy of KONE

KONE Celebrates 115th Anniversary

SDSU PARKING ELEVATORS OPERATING WITH EXPIRED PERMITS

SDSU Parking Elevators Operating With Expired Permits

Grone

NEII Congratulates Grone on Retirement

SCHINDLER REFLECTS ON 2025 CHALLENGES, REWARDS

Schindler Reflects on 2025 Challenges, Rewards

Techno International Airport; image courtesy of Otis

Otis Provides 118 Units for New Cambodia Airport