Keven Moore: Got stuck in an elevator while on vacation (a first, but it can happen); here’s what to do

On vacation with the family in Panama City Beach earlier this month everything was perfect — the sun was hot, the sand was white, a cold beverage was in hand, the surf was up and Camp Moore had just been established with our pop-up tent, blanket and cooler to supplement the two lounge chairs umbrellas that came with our rental condominium.

Unable to entirely unplug from work due to a conference call, I was just starting to feel pretty relaxed when the sound of distant thunder came rumbling into my little oasis.

Like a true risk management and safety professional, I realized that Florida has the most electric weather in the entire country with on average 25.3 strikes per square mile and 1.45 million lightning strikes each year, killing 5-10 people each year.

Knowing that lightning can strike 3 miles away from a storm, I started to quickly calculate the time we had and reluctantly convince my family to break down camp and start heading for cover back at the condo.

As a protective father feeling pretty good about my risk avoidance decision as the rain started to fall, little did I know that I was walking right into another unforeseen hazard that I never saw coming. As always it’s the unseen snake in the grass that gets you and in this case, it was the elevator to our 23 story condominium that we were staying.

As the elevator doors closed, a bolt of lightning struck just outside the building, causing the entire condominium to lose power, and yes that included the elevator. As I stood there in total disbelief I started to calculate the odds in my head. In my 54 years of riding up and down elevators countless of times, this was my first. In fact, it was the first time for all of us in that elevator that day.

There are approximately 900,000 elevators in the United States and the odds of getting stuck in an elevator are 1 in every 100,000 elevator ride. Or according to another statistic, if your exposure is 80 minutes in 12,000 minutes of elevator operation then you have a probability of entrapment each month of 0.02%  or  1 in 5,000.

To put this in some sort of context, the odds that you will be struck by lightning in any given month are 1 in 3,360,000.

What made the situation far more dangerous was that I had just convinced my wife to bypass the 1st-floor restroom due to the line, instead suggesting that she wait to use the restroom in our condominium.

I quickly started to have flashbacks of an episode of “The Office” where Dwight gets stuck on an elevator with Pam and he starts to panic and says to Pam, “I’ve got fifty-six ounces of fluid in my bladder, and we have to establish a pee corner!”

Armed with this situational awareness I recognized that this predicament could get pretty interesting and that I may be forced to go “MacGyver” to find my way out of this dilemma.

With the five of us, we had a total of 9 people on the elevator, as there was a mother with two young girls both under the age of 6 and a newborn baby in her arms. The emergency lightening had come on but what was making matters worse was the fact that we were in Florida and the heat quickly began to become sweltering hot.

Assessing the situation I began to push the local emergency alarm wondering if people would hear us.

Luckily for us, we never left the 1st floor and the father of the family on board was just outside those doors with several others as they were waiting to board one of the other 2 elevators.

There wasn’t a phone box on this particular elevator, so instead, I used my cell phone to call the property manager to advise them of our situation and stressing the point that we had a newborn baby onboard and that the temperature inside was sweltering.

I was advised that the local elevator company had been notified and that the property maintenance manager was working on the situation in the interim.

Luckily for us, our situation only last 8-10 minutes, but for others that have been in this situation, they have had to wait hours and on rare occasions sometimes more than a day.

Being trapped in an elevator can be a terrifying situation to find yourself in. Being injured in an elevator can be even more so. According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Consumer Product Safety Commission 17,000 people are injured and 30 people are killed in elevator accidents every year.

Most people who die in elevators are elevator technicians and passengers trying to climb out after prying the door open in between floors when the elevator begins to move again.

Unlike what you see in the movies, elevator hatches are generally bolted shut for safety reasons. In times of elevator crisis, the safest place is inside the elevator. Power outages are the most common cause of elevator entrapment and since there is no way to plan for power outages it’s hard to prevent them.

In the event of an entrapment, it is recommended that any evacuation of passengers from elevator cars be performed by qualified elevator personnel; their experience and expertise ensures the resourcefulness necessary to cope with the various complex hazards that may arise during these situations.

Here are some safety tips:

In an emergency. Never use an elevator in a fire; take the stairs.

Always carry your cell phone. In the event you find yourself entrapped in an elevator this will be a resourceful tool to let others know of your situation and to keep you preoccupied while you wait.
Avoid elevators when thunderstorms are approaching. Considering that the loss of power is the number one cause of elevator entrapment, it would be advised that you wait for the storm to pass.

Take a deep breath.  For many that are claustrophobic, they will start to panic. But don’t. Getting nervous will only make things worse, especially if you work yourself into a full-blown panic attack and nobody can get in to give you medical attention. So just breathe, and remember that this too shall pass.

Press the call button.  All elevators have them, and there’s a reason they are there — for situations just like this. Push the elevator’s alarm button, this is a local alarm that others on the outside can hear and they can summons for help.

Use the elevator phone. Some elevators have an emergency telephone to be used for the same purpose. Your call will signal building maintenance that there’s a problem with your elevator and set the wheels in motion for your ultimate evacuation.

Use your cell phone. You can also call the emergency number on the elevator plate (if there is one) or 911 on your cell phone.

Sit back, and relax.  No matter how quickly building maintenance is called, you will still have to wait for them to come and fix the problem. Don’t jump up and down or fiddle with the doors, which could upset the brake system, shift the car and make it harder for rescuers to reach you.

Don’t try to escape on your own. Whatever you do, don’t try to get out on your own. You never know when a stuck elevator could start moving again and if you’re on your way out, you could get crushed. Do not leave the elevator by any means unless an emergency responder directs you.

Then finally from experience, about the only other advice I can give you is to always use the bathroom before boarding and never ever talk your wife into waiting.

Be Safe My Friend!

Keven Moore works in risk management services and is an expert witness. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Kentucky, a master’s from Eastern Kentucky University and 25-plus years of experience in the safety and insurance profession. He lives in Lexington with his family and works out of both the Lexington and Northern Kentucky offices. Keven can be reached at kmoore@roeding.com.