Imagine walking up eighty flights of stairs to a friend’s apartment, then realizing you’ve forgotten what you meant to bring! Thank goodness for the invention of the elevator. This amazing contraption can occasionally malfunction, alas. Here’s what to do if yours goes haywire and you need to become an elevator operator on the spot.
Patience, Please
Most elevator accidents happen when people are in a rush and abuse the safety features. For example, elevator doors have sensors that detect something in the way. People often stick an arm or a leg in between the doors, knowing they will pop back open. But you can never be sure that these safety features are working. By the time you find out, it could be too late. Best bet: keep your body parts away from the door!
Going Up!
The biggest fear people have about elevators is that the cable will snap and the elevator will plummet. What most people don’t know is that an elevator can also “fall” up! A counterweight is attached to an elevator to help it rise through the building. If something goes wrong, this counterweight can send an elevator soaring upwards as fast as 60 miles (96 km) per hour!
Glass elevator in a hotel.
Sticky Situation
Getting stuck in an elevator is pretty common. If it happens to you, don’t try to escape through the service hatch—the elevator could start moving again at any second. Play the waiting game instead. Use the intercom to call for help. Flick the emergency switch to sound the alarm. A cell phone can also be useful to call for help, or to cure boredom. And don’t panic! It’s a myth that an elevator will eventually run out of air. There’s plenty of air circulating in the elevator shaft.
FAST FACT
• Betty Lou Oliver holds the record for surviving the longest elevator fall. In 1945, an army plane that was lost in the fog crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City. Betty, who was riding in an elevator in the building at the time, was already injured by the plane crash when her elevator cable snapped. She fell seventy-five stories and lived to tell the tale.
HOW TO SURVIVE A PLUMMETING ELEVATOR
- Don’t jump. Some people think that if they jump at just the right moment, they will float to safety. Don’t fall into that trap: the elevator car could collapse on impact. If you time your jump perfectly you’ll only succeed in smashing into the ceiling first, then crashing to the ground.
- Flatten out. Your best chance of survival is to lie flat on the floor in the center of the elevator. Doing this will distribute the force of impact evenly.
- Cover up. Cover your face and head to help protect you from ceiling parts that may break loose.
