On August 20, Giuliano Pirone, 33, went to a gym in Wanneroo, Perth, Australia. He started working out as he normally would. However, while on the treadmill, Pirone started feeling unwell. He staggered to the gym showers, where he collapsed at 7:30 a.m. Fifteen hours later, officers found Pirone unconscious and, two weeks later, he died at a hospital. He never regained consciousness.
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While there aren't any specifics unveiled regarding Pirone's death, doctors hypothesize that his blood sugar levels dropped dramatically. With his blood pressure going down as a result, Pirone struggled toward the shower. There, he collapsed, hitting his head which caused a brain injury.
Daniela Pirone, Giuliano's mother, details what he heard from doctors. "That night I got to the hospital, the doctor said I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is a dark shadow at the front of his brain," she said. "I don't think he will regain consciousness." Two weeks later, Pirone died as a result of his injuries. An investigation was launched immediately after.
"It's actually too early to say what specific breaches are being investigated," said a Worksafe spokesperson. WorkSafe is a West Australia government agency that is in charge of "regulation and promotion of workplace health and safety". "The investigation is in its very early stages, so the inspectors are still gathering information about the industry," the spokesperson continued.
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Daniela Pirone was devasted after hearing about his son's death. "He should still be here. I don't know how I'm going to go on," Daniela said to ABC radio Perth. "Everyone says it will get easier, it will get easier. It's not going to get easier.
More worrying than Pirone's cause of death is how was it possible for Pirone's unconscious body to remain in the gym shower without anyone noticing. "My family has a lot of questions, and we still have not been given an explanation as to why Giuliano was in the shower for so long without anyone noticing he was there," Daniela said.
"I did not want to join this club of mothers losing their children and I want to know why I'm in this position," she continued. "I just want to know how someone can be left in a gym shower for 15 hours,"
Daniela, however, is thankful for WorkSafe's involvement in his son's case. "I'm pleased to hear WorkSafe is looking into what happened that day and looking into the 24-hour gym industry," said Daniela.
