Guiliano Pirone: Perth bodybuilder fighting for life after he collapsed in a gym shower and wasn’t found until 15 hours later
A bodybuilder is in a medically induced coma after passing out in the shower of a 24-hour gym and going unnoticed for 15 hours.
Guiliano Pirone was training for a bodybuilding competition when he passed out in the shower of a Perth gym on August 20.
He had gone to the gym before work and was only discovered later that evening when police raided the premises and found him on the floor of a cold shower.
Mr Pirone’s mother Daniella told ABC Perth her son is now in an induced coma in intensive care at Joondalup Hospital in Perth’s north.
Mrs. Pirone said her son had stopped at the gym on his way to work and she panicked when he didn’t come home that day or call back.
The family tried to contact Mr Pirone’s friends, his ex-wife and people he spoke to on a daily basis, but no one had heard from him.
“It was very unusual, totally out of character for her,” Pirone said.
His mother reported him missing to the police, who were able to track him down via his phone and track him down at the gym.
Guiliano Pirone (pictured) collapsed in the shower of a 24-hour gym after a workout
Police were able to trace Mr. Pirone’s phone when his mother reported her son missing
“The police had to come in and they found him in the shower (with cold water running). He was on the floor, collapsed,” she said.
“They thought he was dead.”
Mrs Pirone said police officers administered CPR and her son quickly regained consciousness before an ambulance rushed him to hospital.
“The officer who arranged everything came to pick up my husband and me and took us straight to the hospital. I have been there ever since,” she said.
Ms Pirone said the gym shower where her son was found was a stall with a locked door.
“He was in there and they had to kick the door in to get him,” she said.
‘He texted a friend at 7:03am and wasn’t found until 10:30pm. I got to the hospital around 12pm.
‘He texted a friend at 7:03am and wasn’t found until 10:30pm. I got to the hospital around 12pm.
Mr Pirone is in an induced coma at Perth’s Joondalup Hospital, six days after collapsing
Mr Pirone’s mother said 24-hour gyms were dangerous and called for a check-in system
“He was alone, my beautiful son was alone on that floor, crooked, collapsed (and had) hit his head, for about 15 hours and no one noticed. I’m just stunned.”
Ms Pirone said unmanned gyms open 24 hours a day pose a danger and more needs to be done to monitor those using the facilities.
She said her son had checked in at 4:55 a.m. and his car was parked by the front door, but no one had noticed anything.
“There should be a check-in system so that after two or three hours, if someone hasn’t checked out, the staff will look around for that person,” she said.
“He wouldn’t be in a medically induced coma now if someone had seen him within two or four hours,” she said.
“If these police officers hadn’t been so kind as to ping his phone, I wouldn’t be holding my son’s warm hands right now.”