Perth bodybuilder Giuliano Pirone’s family calls for coroner’s inquest after he collapses in gym shower

The mother of a Perth bodybuilder who lay unconscious in a gym shower for 15 hours has spoken of her anguish for the first time since his death and is demanding a coroner’s inquest.

Giuliano Pirone, 33, was working out at a 24-hour gym in Wanneroo, in Perth’s north, when he felt unwell, went into a shower and collapsed at about 7.30am on Tuesday, August 20.

Giuliano Pirone, wearing a white T-shirt and sunglasses, stands smiling at the camera, behind him a brick wall and a plant can be seen — Mr. Pirone stayed in hospital for two weeks before he was taken off life support. (Delivered )

He lay there under running cold water until 10.30pm, when the police forced open the cabin door to get to him.

He was located by sending a signal to his cell phone after his family reported him missing.

Photo of Giuliano and his daughter walking down a path, holding hands. Taken from behind. — Giuliano Pirone is the father of a three-year-old girl. (Delivered )

Mr Pirone, the father of a three-year-old daughter, suffered a brain injury and never regained consciousness.

“He should still be here. I don’t know how I’m going to cope,” his mother Daniela Pirone told ABC Radio Perth.

“Everyone says it will get easier, it will get easier. It won’t get easier.

“I have a void in my heart, a hole so deep that I can’t explain to you what I feel. It feels like a nightmare.”

Mr. Pirone had been in the hospital for two weeks when he was taken off life support.

Close-up of Daniela, who is wearing a navy blue cardigan and bright green glasses. — Daniela Pirone is demanding a coroner’s investigation into her son’s death. (ABC News: Armin Azad)

Waiting for answers

Ms Pirone said her family had yet to receive an explanation as to how her son was able to stay in the shower for so long without drawing attention.

“I didn’t want to join the club of mothers who have lost their children, and I want to know why I found myself in this situation,” she said.

“I just want to know how someone can be left in the shower at the gym for 15 hours.

“If it had been found earlier, he would still be here. The neurologist said if it had been found earlier, it could have been reversed and he would have been fine.”

Doctors informed the family that they believed the patient’s blood sugar levels had dropped significantly, his blood pressure had dropped, and he had possibly experienced some type of seizure.

Selfie of Giuliano Pirone lying on a colorful pillow, wearing a beige hooded sweater — Giuliano Pirone’s mother says she does not want his death to be in vain. (Delivered )

“He was just breathing. They (police) did CPR. The ambulance was there within five minutes,” Ms Pirone said.

“That night when I got to the hospital, the doctor said, ‘I’m sorry to tell you this, but there’s a dark shadow in the front of his brain. I don’t think he’ll regain consciousness.’

“We didn’t want to agree to that, so we just waited until other tests were done.

“He never shook my hand, never spoke to me again.”

The middle shot of Daniela, who is wearing a navy blue cardigan and bright green glasses, looking into the distance — Daniela Pirone says she wants tougher regulations for the fitness industry. (ABC News: Armin Azad)

Call for coroner’s inquest

When ABC Radio Perth first revealed what happened, the gym owner offered his “deepest sympathies to the Giuliano family at this difficult time”.

He added that he is “committed to providing a safe, secure and accessible environment for all our members.”

ABC did not reveal the name of the gym for legal reasons.

Giuliano Pirone poses shirtless at the gym — Giuliano Pirone was training for a bodybuilding competition when he collapsed in the gym. (Delivered )

Police have already secured surveillance footage from the gym and are now preparing a report for the coroner.

Ms Pirone said the footage showed her son stepping off the treadmill, hitting other machines and then staggering into the shower while holding his stomach.

She wants a coroner’s inquest into her son’s death because it would shed light on the issue of 24-hour gyms, which she believes should be more strictly regulated.

Gym Protocols in Focus

According to the gym’s website, the facility is open to guests for a few hours in the mornings and afternoons.

Mr Pirone’s sister, Rosa Ostapenko, said she would like to know what the rules are at the gym.

“I would like to know what happens when (members) go into the store because I’m sure they check the CCTV footage to make sure the customer hasn’t brought someone else in who hasn’t paid and they take appropriate action,” she said.

“I would like to know how often their toilets are checked and things like that, because they have to (provide) toilet paper, keep the toilets clean and so on.

“Why not knock on the door, if there’s no answer, knock again. If there’s no answer again, something’s wrong. Check the cameras then.”

Ms Ostapenko also wondered how it was possible that Mr Pirone’s car, parked at the front door, had gone unnoticed.

Selfie of Giuliano Pirone in sunglasses on the beach — Giuliano Pirone died in hospital after spending 15 hours unconscious in a shower at a Perth gym. (Delivered )

The family believes all gyms should be properly staffed and bathroom and shower checks should be carried out hourly to prevent similar situations.

They would also like to see a more comprehensive system introduced at gyms, in which clients would not only check in at the entrance, but also check out from the gym.

“Unregulated Industry”

Gym regulations in Western Australia focus mainly on membership fees and agreements.

Gyms can voluntarily sign up to the National Code of Practice through AUSactive, a leading organisation in the exercise and active leisure sector.

The Code promotes good trading standards and enables traders to provide services in a professional and ethical manner.

AUSactive chief executive Barry Elvish said what happened to Mr Pirone was extremely upsetting and confirmed the gym where he fainted was not an AUSactive member.

“There is no requirement to be a member of any association,” Mr. Elvish said.

“We are an unregulated industry. We have a code of conduct that covers these types of issues.”

A man in a white T-shirt takes a selfie in front of a mirror at a gym with strength training equipment — Giuliano Pirone’s death puts spotlight on gym safety protocols (Delivered)

“It could happen again”

Mr. Elvish said 24-hour gyms are convenient and inexpensive, but they cannot be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“There is no way to delete an account and we would be willing to consider it if we believed it would actually make the gym community safer,” he said.

“Of course you would have to have… an IT system that would signal when someone has been there too long.

“I mean, how long does it normally take to go to the gym? Maybe an hour and a half to two hours max, but yeah, that’s something we might consider, but right now I don’t know of any gyms that have both check-out and check-in.”

Mrs Pirone said she did not want her son’s death to be in vain.

“This could happen again. I don’t want anyone else to go through this.

“I don’t want another mother to go through what I went through.

The family is seeking legal advice.