Elevator accidents at mines are extremely rare, said Steven Schafrik, a University of Kentucky associate professor of mining engineering
that killed a tour guide, injured four others and left a separate group of 12 people trapped for hours at the bottom of the tourist attraction 1,000 feet beneath the surface.. At around 500 feet down, the person operating the elevator from the surface “felt something strange" and stopped it, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.The elevator was still operable, and those on board were brought back up within 20 minutes, the sheriff said.
Twelve adults from a second group were trapped below ground for about six hours while engineers made sure the elevator could be used. The group had access to water and used radios to communicate with authorities, who told them there was an elevator issue, Mikesell said.Justice Department sues Virginia over effort to reduce voter rolls close to Election Day
Most people who were in the elevator when it malfunctioned were later taken to a local relief center, where some got showers, new clothes and sandwiches, said Ted Borden, with the Community of Caring Foundation in Cripple Creek.. They have been used by the industry to carry people and material since the mid-1800s, he said, and modern elevators are equipped with fail-safe devices that prevent them from falling far if a cable breaks.He declined to comment directly on the Colorado accident.
Changes to the elevator were made in 1988 after the mine came under new ownership, according to the mine's website. A second car that could carry nine people was suspended below the existing elevator, and a new motor was installed to accommodate the increased weight, the website says. The tour began with Nolan's group descending into the shaft with six people in each of the elevator’s two cars.
The accident was under investigation by local and state authorities along with the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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