A jury trial date has been set concerning the 2023 incident at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado, where falling HVAC equipment injured six people, including two who sustained lifethreatening injuries.
The trial — expected to last three weeks — has been scheduled for January 2026, according to recently filed court documents.
Victims affected by a massive collapsing duct allege that the failure was caused by years of recklessness and blame the companies responsible for the facility’s construction, design, installation, cleaning, and maintenance of the HVAC system, as well as the owner, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.
The incident occurred at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora on May 6, 2023 (less than five years after its grand opening) when a massive duct suddenly fell from the ceiling and crashed into the pool and some of the 50-100 people who were then in the area. The HVAC system weighed thousands of pounds and dropped 35 feet from the ceiling, according to court documents.
While the Aurora Fire Department said a total of six people were injured, the greatest injuries were sustained by a man celebrating a granddaughter’s birthday and a 13-year-old girl who was staying at the resort to attend a regional gymnastics meet where she was competing.
The grandfather was John Markiewicz, who was visiting from Florida. According to the complaint, when the ductwork collapsed, it struck Markiewicz directly on his head and body, slamming him into the concrete pool deck and rendering him unconscious. He then lay pinned under the weight of the metal. The incident shattered his skull, causing a traumatic brain injury, and also resulted in multiple rib fractures.
The 13-year-old gymnast is identified as A.K., who was struck by the ductwork while she was sitting near the hot tub. The force of the blow broke her pelvis in half, shattered a hip, broke several ribs, and caused massive internal hemorrhaging, the complaint states.
A total of 17 defendants were named in the complaint, from the construction companies involved in building the facility to those who maintain it.
Michael Burg, a personal injury lawyer representing the victims, said he was surprised that none of the defendants attempted to resolve the case through mediation before it got brought to trial.
'They all have some responsibility,” Burg said. “Certainly, some may have more than others. And this is a tragedy. There's all these defendants who are trying to figure out how they could get out from having liability here. But there are so many ways that this could have been prevented.”
