What happened at Gaylord Rockies resort? Pool collapse incident explained

An HVAC duct crashed upon a pool deck inside the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, injuring six people. Two of them are currently admitted to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The incident took place on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

One of the six people, a 53-year-old man, sustained brain injuries and was transported to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. A part of a heating and ventilation system collapsed into the pool at around 9:50 am. Eight fire crew from a nearby fire station were already present on the scene as they were conducting training at the center.

According to the Aurora Fire Department, around 50 to 100 people were in the pool when the air conditioning equipment crashed down on the pool.

The resort released a statement on Sunday and said that its top priorities were to send emergency responders to the scene to assist the directly impacted people. The resort also thanked the fire crew for taking swift action.

Resort authorities said they were focusing on helping their affected guests and associates and were working with experts to conduct a thorough investigation. Aurora Fire Rescue team said that Marriott International, the owner of Gaylord Hotels, will take responsibility for the investigation into the cause of the collapse.

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Witnesses at Gaylord Rockies share their experiences of the incident

After the collapse at Gaylord Rockies, Aurora city leaders released a statement on Saturday that read:

“Our hearts go out to all those who were injured today, to their families and to those traumatized by witnessing what occurred. We expect a thorough investigation, and our immediate focus is the well-being of those involved, and we thank our first responders for their quick response and care.”

Jenn Spykerman, a guest at Gaylord told Denver7 that her son Trevor narrowly missed getting injured when the mechanical equipment came crashing down on the pool. Trevor also spoke to the outlet and told them what he witnessed. He described the whole scene as very loud and chaotic and said:

“I see like this stuff leaking from the big metal pipes. And then all of a sudden it comes falling. My first reaction was to get my stuff and then get outside.”

Trevor continued that after he got out of the pool, he had to run over a bunch of rubble that fell from the roof when the duct crashed. The boy described the rubble as metal and air conditioning materials. Trevor hurt his feet a little while evacuating the pool barefoot, but other than that, he did not receive any injuries.

Spykerman said she was glad to see Trevor uninjured. However, she said that the incident made her wary about whether or not she should ever let her son go anywhere without her again.

Another witness spoke to CBS News Colorado and said that someone pulled a smoke alarm after the crash and the resort was evacuated. The witness also saw a child being treated by the pool by the fire crew after the collapse.

Among the six injured at the Gaylord resort was a father who was shielding his son from the HVAC duct. The man was later identified as Kolby Huseman, who also spoke to the outlet to share what had happened.

Kolby, who is from Houston, was on vacation with his family. He said that he was in the pool playing with his five-year-old son Levi when the pipes from above started to make a noise. He looked up to see the huge metal ducts falling down. Kolby said he grabbed his son and tucked him under himself.

Part of the duct crashed directly on Kolby's back, leaving scratches on his shoulders down to his waist. He also got bruises all over his back. His son also got a scraped knee.

Kolby Huseman flew back to Houston with his family after they were being able to leave the Gaylord Rockies resort. He said he would go for a checkup at a hospital near his home and take his son to a therapist to discuss the incident.