March 2 2011, I started this day as usual with a cup of coffee and was expecting it to be a another normal day. But it turned out to be one of horrible day of my life, I encounter with something that i have never experience before. I was stuck in lift (elevator) for nearly two hours and telling you its not good experience for a claustrophobic person like me.
I got into a elevator of 16 level building at approximately 8:00pm and before me pressing ground floor button someone from building called lift on 15th floor and thus it started ascending towards 15th floor. I was waiting for the elevator to open as it approached the 15th level, but it didn't happen. Then I looked at LCD display of lift and it was showing message “Leveling the car, please wait”; which is usual. It normally take few seconds for leveling the car and then doors open but at this time the door still didn’t open. Now I came to know I was stuck. There was a small cupboard below the lift button panel where emergency call manual is usually kept, but unfortunately there was no manual in it beside few chocolate wrappers. I pressed the OPEN DOOR button repeatedly, but nothing happened. Then Finally, I pressed Alarm button (emergency call button), and talk to a some guy on the other end, telling him that my name and explaining to him that I was stuck in the elevator. In return he asked me stupid question that whether I can get out of lift to which I replied “NO” and the he just hanged up the phone. Then I waited for another 5 minutes and pressed alarm button again, this time some lady answer the call and I have to explain her again from scrap, then she asked me for the address. I provided her details and then she too just hanged the phone. I was so angry by now as no one of then assured me that they will be sending someone to help me out, they just hang up on me. Then suddenly I hear someone coming on floor using another lift and then I started to bang on door, to get that persons attention. It was building security. He asked me is I am ok inside and how long I have been trapped inside. I said it now almost 40 minutes now and explain him my conversation with two lift maintainence service providers. Then he assured me not to panic and stay calm and he will see if he can do anything for me.
I waited for another 10 minutes and then pressed the alarm button again and this time spoke to some another person named David on another end and again I have tell him my name and explain to him that I am stuck in lift, which was really annoying. He told me that according to him I am stuck in between 14th and 15th level and then he started to guide me through some troubleshooting hoping that lift will move to next floor but it didn’t worked out. He apologize on behalf of previous two phone service attendants and told me to hold on, he will send lift engineer to get me out of it.
I was relax now as I was knowing someone is coming to rescue me. After 45 minutes I hear a voice from outside. Finally it was lift engineer and he told me that he going to jump on top of lift so not to be scare. I don’t know how he manage to go on top of lift and withing couple of minutes the lift start to move and stooped on next level ie 15 and as soon as door got open I jumped out of it and thus I was released to free world again.
Those two hours where longest two hours of my life. It was a really awful experience.
Here I will like to give some tips what one should do when using in lift:
1. 1. Don’t press buttons for all floors, you surely don’t want to make lift car angry.
Never press emergency stop button unless it is emergency.
3. Don’t jump in lift car when it is moving.
Things to when you are stuck in lift car:
1. Don’t panic, staying calm will release tension
2. Push door open button
3. It still don’t open the try pushing button for another floors (only for couple of floors, don’t push all floor buttons)
4. Look for emergency call button
Things not to do:
1. Don’t try to be hero by trying escaping out of lift form top (it happens only in movies)
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