Giuliano Pirone: Family of Perth father call for coronial inquest into his shocking gym death

The family of a Perth bodybuilder who died after collapsing in a gym shower and going unnoticed for 15 hours have called for a coronial inquest into his death.

Giuliano Pirone, 33, was at Culture Fitness 24/7 gym in Wanneroo training for a bodybuilding competition when he began to feel unwell in the early hours of August 20.

He staggered to a shower cubicle, where he collapsed and was left unnoticed in the cubicle for 15 hours under cold running water.

After his family reported him missing, police found him slumped in the shower cubicle unconscious after they tracked his phone and knocked the door down.

He was on life support at Joondalup Health Campus for two weeks, but sadly, the beloved father — who has a three-year-old daughter — died.

Bravely speaking out for the first time since the death of her son, his mother, Daniela Pirone, said she was still dumbfounded as to how her son could go unnoticed for that long.

She called for a coronial inquest into her son’s death.

“It’s for all gyms. It needs to be the inquest because protocols need to be put in place,” Mrs Pirone said.

“It’s a health place, you should be safe, you should feel safe that if something happens to you, there’s someone there to help you, not to be left on the floor for 15 hours.”

Mrs Pirone said she was tormented by the thought of what happened to her son when she takes showers now.

“I have a shower now and I think of my son for that 15 hours, cold water running on him,” she said.

“And I was cooking at the time, and if I knew, I could have done something, but I didn’t know anything. He was my life.

“And he’s also got a little girl who was his life. It should not have ended this way.

“I don’t want his death to be in vain.”

Mrs Pirone and Giuliano’s father, Federico Pirone, have also called on gyms to be more attentive to people using their facilities.

“Gyms need to be aware that people can have accidents and things can happen to them in the gym. So there needs to be a check-in and a check-out system,” she said.

“If someone stays at the gym for two, two and a half hours, or three hours max, after that, someone should flag up or say, “Okay, where is this person? They’re still at the gym. Let me go check to see if they’re okay. Look around. “

“Your shift starts, go look around in the bathrooms. Have a walk around. Check the CCTV from the night before, see what’s happened in the gym that night or that morning.

“You would have seen my son stagger to the toilets, and you would have gone to check.

“Just notice. Just take note of things.”

Doctors told the Pirone family they believed his blood sugar levels became extremely low, his blood pressure dropped, and he may have had some kind of seizure before hitting his head on the tap of the shower cubicle.

Mrs Pirone said it was bizarre the showers had not even been checked or cleaned in the 15 hours.

And, devastatingly, if Mr Pirone had been found earlier, neurologists said he could have made a full recovery.

“If he was found earlier, the neurologist said it would have been such a better outcome. He would have been okay,” Mrs Pirone said.

A Culture Fitness 24/7 spokesperson on Monday afternoon said the company extended its “deepest sympathies” to the Giuliano family.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Giuliano’s family at this difficult time, and we extend our deepest sympathies after learning Giuliano has passed away,” the spokesperson said.

“We have been in contact with those close to Giuliano and have given them time and space. However, we will continue to engage with the family to provide whatever support we can if they require it.

“Since the date of the incident, we have provided and will continue to provide all necessary access and information to emergency services to assist them in their efforts if required.

“As a 24-hour gym facility, we remain committed to maintaining a safe, secure and accessible environment for all our members.

“We pride ourselves on fostering a supportive community environment for our staff, our members, and all of our external relationships.”

Premier Roger Cook on Monday said he wanted to make sure the family got answers over Mr Pirone’s death through an independent investigation.

“My heart goes out to the Pirone family and everyone impacted by this incident. He entered a facility where you would expect a duty of care to be carried out in a manner that was consistent with the industry standards,” he said.

“I understand that there is concern from his family that he wasn’t cared for, and obviously, we would support any attempt by the authorities to get to the bottom of the issue.

“My understanding is that the police have referred to the coroner, and the coroner will obviously make a decision in due course, but this family want answers, and we support them in that pursuit.”

Mr Cook refused to comment on calls for stronger industry protections for gym users, saying only that people needed to be afforded the “appropriate level of safety”.

“We need to also make sure that people, when they come into these facilities, are, you know, at risk. They are exerting themselves. They’re pushing their bodies to their limits as part of their fitness regime,” he said.

“There are risks involved, and it’s obviously important that the industry take note of those.”

Holding back tears, Ms Pirone remembered her son as “full of life” and a dedicated father to his three-year-old daughter.

“Giuliano was carefree, full of life, no fear, a free spirit,” Mrs Pirone said.

“He was just a beautiful soul, a beautiful presence. He lit up any room that he walked in.”