An “operator error” led to the death of a tour guide in October and stranded nearly two dozen people underground at a tourist mine near Cripple Creek, officials said Wednesday.
State inspectors determined that the Oct. 10 incident at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, an 1890s gold mine about 50 miles west of Colorado Springs, was “not attributed to current mine practices or equipment malfunctions,” the Teller County Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators also ruled the death of Patrick Weier, the 46-year-old tour guide, as accidental, the sheriff’s office said. Authorities did not say what caused his death.
Days after the incident, officials said the stranded tourists, half of whom were trapped for six hours 1,000 feet underground, had to be rescued after the mine’s hoist malfunctioned.
The mechanical issue involved a problem with the cage doors when it reached 500 feet, officials said in October.
State mining inspectors, who completed their inspection of the mine last month, said the mine met state regulations and posed no imminent or substantial danger to the public or employees, according to the sheriff’s office. Inspectors looked at the mine’s ground control, training records, ventilation, fire prevention and control, communication systems and hoisting procedures.
The state’s Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety published its final report online Thursday.
“The inspection report identified minimal maintenance issues but determined that the Mine is in overall good working order and in compliance with regulations,” Chris Arend, a spokesperson for the division said in a news release.
“Overall Colorado tourist mines have an excellent safety record. Each year thousands of tourists safely visit these mines where they learn about the importance of our state’s precious natural resources and the history of mining in Colorado.”
Maintenance on a ladder set inside the mine is necessary in several areas where five rungs were damaged, a state inspector wrote in the report. The bell system cable and signal, which are used in underground mines to communicate between different levels, also need repairs, the report said.
The state ordered the tourist mine to halt all tours in October after the incident and has since authorized the mine to resume tours for the 2025 season.