KEENESBURG, Colo. — A worker inside an underground manure pit at a dairy farm in Keenesburg may have accidentally released lethal amounts of toxic gas before five others rushed in to save him, according to two separate sources in the dairy industry with knowledge of the deadly incident.
Six people, including a high school student, died in what Weld County authorities initially called a “dairy accident” at Prospect Valley Dairy in Keenesburg on Wednesday.
The Weld County Coroner’s Office would later say the victims — all male — possibly died as a “result of gas exposure in a confined space,” though a final determination for a cause and manner of death for all six was pending autopsy and toxicology results.
On Friday, Denver7 was able to confirm more details about what exactly happened through two separate sources in the Colorado dairy industry. Denver7 is not naming them at their request.
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In this case, the sources said, a contractor was at Prospect Valley Dairy conducting work on an underground manure pit where the workers had been several times throughout the day on Wednesday. At the end of the day, one of the workers went back down into the pit to do some additional work and possibly "adjust a valve."
The sources told Denver7 they suspect the worker then accidentally turned on a valve or pump with his phone, which caused a release of hydrogen sulfide. The toxic gas, which can lead to immediate death in high concentrations, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), is formed as a result of decomposing animal manure.
Both sources told Denver7 the worker inside the pit then immediately collapsed due to exposure (it only takes a matter of seconds for hydrogen sulfide to cut off oxygen to the brain, the sources said), before five other workers rushed in to save him — despite an on-site supervisor yelling at them not to go in.
The high schooler, a student at Highland High School in Ault, was a 17-year-old boy and the son of one of the workers on-site helping his father out before returning to school, the sources said. District officials with Highland High School confirmed the student's passing Thursday in a statement to Denver7.
The Weld Re-9 School District is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of a Highland High School student in a tragic confinement incident at a local dairy last night. This tragedy has deeply affected our school district and community.
Counseling and support services have been made available to students and staff alike, and the district is committed to continue providing assistance to those in need. Our thoughts are with the student’s family and friends during this difficult time, and we extend our sincere condolences to all who are impacted by this loss.
Both sources, who are dairy farmers in Weld County, told Denver7 the manure pit was likely mostly empty because of the work being conducted at the time.
They said the dangers of these manure pits are well-known in the dairy industry, and precautions are of the utmost importance when conducting maintenance or work on the pits.
“It’s just an unreal tragedy impossible to fathom,” one of the sources said, adding the contractor was doing everything “by the book” when the deadly accident occurred. The men were "knowingly risking their lives to save a friend or relative but with a tragic result," the source told Denver7.
The Weld County Board of Commissioners also released a statement about the accident, saying the community is hurting. Their full statement is below.
Our Weld County community is hurting with the news of the accident at the Prospect Dairy in southern Weld County. Our prayers for the families affected are focused on strength, healing, and compassion as they navigate this tragedy.
The agricultural community in Weld County, as it is across this country, is strong and full of compassionate, hard-working individuals and families who support each other, especially in difficult times such as this.
The Weld County Board of Commissioners extends its sympathy to these families and to our agricultural community.
A GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of some of the workers who died in the accident.
Denver7's Russell Haythorn contributed to this report.
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