AURORA, Colo — Six people were hurt on Saturday when part of an HVAC system fell into the indoor pool at the Gaylord Rockies resort.
It happened just before 10:00 a.m. Aurora Fire said about 50 to 100 people were in the pool at the time.
Of the six people who were hurt, two of them were rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
"It's been really traumatic for sure for us as well as for our son," Jennifer Spykerman said. She and her family were at the resort on Saturday.
Spykerman's 12-year-old son was in the pool area when part of the HVAC system fell into the pool he just got out of.
"We didn't appreciate how much danger he was in until we saw the ambulances and we saw some of the people who were being carried and they were terribly injured," she said. "Apparently he had just gone down the slide really quick and he saw all this black sludge coming down right before everything came crashing down around him, and he said it was like he was in a weird bad dream."
Cell phone video shared by Jamie Olson caught the aftermath. People can be heard screaming for help while others tend to them. As the video pans, a liquid is streaming out of a pipe near the ceiling.
Olson told 9NEWS she shared the video hoping it helps push toward more routine maintenance checks for pools and hotels nationwide.
"Honestly I think they need to bring in an external expert, a structural engineer to understand what happened," Spykerman said.
Gaylord Rockies issued a statement Sunday saying:
"We are devastated by this traumatic incident. On Saturday, our top priorities were to support emergency responders and render assistance to those directly impacted, and we’re very grateful to the Aurora Fire Department for their swift actions. Moving forward, we are focused on helping our affected guests and associates, and we are working with the appropriate experts to conduct a thorough investigation."
The responding agency, Aurora Fire, said they are not investigating the case.
In a statement Monday, the city of Aurora said:
"Regarding the response to the incident, Aurora Fire Rescue (“AFR”) provided care to the six injured patients and ensured the scene was secure. AFR is not equipped and does not have the authority to determine the cause of the structural failure that occurred.
The city’s Building Division in Public Works is similarly limited in its authority over incidents on private property. While it completed more than 60,000 inspections at the resort prior to the facility’s opening in 2018 to ensure compliance with the International Building Code (“IBC”), it is the property owner’s sole responsibility to address ongoing maintenance and operations issues on the property. Consequently, it is the property owner’s responsibility to conduct a thorough investigation involving professional engineers and other experts to understand what caused Saturday’s structural incident.
Once the investigation has completed and Gaylord determines the next steps, they will be required to apply for city permits and submit detailed plans developed and signed by licensed professionals to complete any new work or necessary repairs. The city’s Building Division will review and issue the appropriate permits and conduct follow-up inspections to ensure the work meets all IBC requirements."
A 2019 announcement on RK Mechanical's company website says they were the mechanical sub-contractor for the build, and that their work included installing 75 miles of plumbing pipes and 4,000 tons of air conditioning.
In a statement to 9NEWS Monday, RK Mechanical said:
"RK Mechanical was one of the contractors that installed mechanical equipment at the Gaylord Rockies Resort during its construction roughly five years ago. We are and will continue to cooperate with local authorities, the Gaylord and other contractors to determine the cause of this accident. In the meantime, our thoughts are with those who have been affected by this unfortunate event, and we are here to help in any way we can."
While the patrons at Gaylord Saturday wait to hear how this happened, they said they will focus on who this happened to.
"We keep checking, hoping folks are OK," Spykerman said. "We're praying for their recovery and their safety."
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