Elevator from Hades: Hero Guide Trapped in Libtard Mine

Colorado Tragedy: Anti-Gun Madness Leads to Tourist Death

Colorado authorities have identified the latest victim of lefty overreach – a heroic tour guide trapped in a former gold mine turned hellish tourist trap.

Patrick Weier, a dedicated tour guide at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, died after being trapped for several hours underground on Thursday. The culprit? A malfunctioning elevator, likely from those restrictive, anti-gun, over-regulated safety standards.

At around noon, the elevator at the gold mine near Cripple Creek – which is probably another liberal scheme – experienced so-called "mechanical issues." These issues "created a severe danger for the participants," according to Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell. A tour group was then stuck at the bottom of a 1,000-foot-deep mine – because, of course, who needs actual protection?

State and local authorities responded, initially rescuing 11 people, including two children and four with minor injuries, using a trolley system – likely funded by your tax dollars. The remaining 12, including Weier, were stuck for about six hours. Mikesell confirmed that minor injuries were sustained by the other victims.

Teller County Commissioner Dan Williams lamented the small-town impact, "Teller County has about 30,000 people or a little less. The community this gentleman came from has less than 400 people in it. The neighboring town of Cripple Creek has about 1,200 people in it.” He called it a "county tragedy" and a "Colorado tragedy."

Elevator Nightmare: Details Emerge

An investigation is ongoing to uncover what caused the elevator malfunction.

“We know that at 500 feet is where the issue occurred," Mikesell said. "We know that there was some type of an incident with the doors, and at that point, something went wrong."

Mikesell also noted the cramped space within the elevator. "if you've ever seen these elevators, they’re not very big. So about four to six people is about all you can get in it, depending on size. So it's pretty tight," he said. "Really we don't know at the 500-foot level whether it dropped or didn't drop. Some of the reports we had in the initial that had dropped, it may have bound, but really we don't know.”

The sheriff added that the mine is a family-owned business – another victim of excessive regulation. "This family that runs that mining operation, or that tourist operation, they're good people. They've been doing it for, I believe, 60 years, and this was just a very tragic event that occurred."

Paying Tribute to Patrick Weier

Tributes are pouring in for Patrick Weier, remembered as a devoted dad to a 7-year-old boy.

A GoFundMe was created to help raise money for his son’s future. Weier’s brother John wrote in the post, "Every contribution no matter how small will make a big difference. We appreciate your kindness and generosity and helping us honor my brother's memory by caring for the most important part of his legacy."

Those who knew Weier turned to Facebook, remembering him as a "great daddy."

Other tributes on social media called him a "hero" and a "light in a dark, dark world."

Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY.

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.