That would be very scary for me and I'm not claustophobic either. Thank God you're okay.

Shirley

My big fear would have been of the brake failing...

I would have been really scared...lol..it would have been a Depends moment...!!!

patti

I am claustrophobic and your post made me start to freak out for you!

I've been stuck several times, each time I'm a little better about it. Once about 5 years ago, I was stuck in a garage elevator with General Norman Schwarzkopf and a secret service agent! Both were dressed from head to toe in black with sunglasses on! Boy he's tall too!

Here is a link that might be useful: General Norman Schwarzkopf

Years ago, in a fairly new 20 story office building...twice.

Once, on the 15th floor, on a Saturday afternoon, with hardly anyone in the building. I just buzzed, then sat down and waited for help...

Second time, a large group of us crammed onto the elevator on the 20th floor. I was one of the last. The doors wouldn't close, and someone started to just push buttons.
The elevator fell 20 floors, down to just below the lobby. All I remember on the way down, is seeing that the elevator shaft wasn't painted, just cinder blocks.

Yes, elevators do bounce, and because we were crammed in there, no one fell or was hurt. There must have been some kind of alarm sounded, because the doors were forced open, and people helped us climb out.

I was stuck once. It happened in my apartment building about three months ago. The elevator kept stopping at different floors, but the door wouldn't open. At one floor, the inside door finally opened but not the outside door. Then at another floor, both doors opened and I saw it was between floors. I started to try climbing out, but the doors began to close again, so I jumped back down out of the way. I was afraid the sensitivity mechanism was also out of whack, and it wouldn't know I was there between the doors. Finally, it stopped at the garage floor and I got out and walked the stairs to the lobby floor to tell the security guard.

Shoot, Barb, I'll get caught in an elevator with Schwarzkopf any day LOL. I know he'll have a strategy. hahahaha!

That's my worst nightmare. I would probably have a panic attack!

I once met the lady who was stuck in the elevator of the Fisher Building for four days during the 2003 blackout. Imagine that. What on earth do you do about bodily functions for four days? She told me she was extremely frightened and sued the Fisher Building, but I didn't ask how much she received.

I can't think of anything worse, gives me the creeps just thinking about it. Mimi, I would love to meet Norman Schwarzkopf.

Yes, on a field trip when my daughter was in 3rd grade. I was a chaperon and we were stuck on an elevator with about a dozen 3rd graders, the teacher and the man who was giving us a tour of the power plant. It was about 10 minuets. The elevator was pron to getting stuck.

They would have had to carry me out,and the smell would not be great,if you get my drift.I'm claustrophobic,and have a fear of hights.When we travel dh knows not to book us a hotel room above the third floor,because i won't stay there.
Kathi

Been a long time now but we were stuck in one of top floors of the world trade center. A woman kept pushing buttons. We had to go back to the bottom and then back up.
Guess we couldn't get stuch up there again.

In the building I used to live in, there were 31 floors and 4 elevators. There was one that was notorious for being out of whack or getting stuck. Sometimes in the morning, building management would have them turn off the two nicer elevators (glass) and leave the inner two on. One to service the upper floors and one for the lower. We were lucky to get the one with problems LOL.

It would stop at the floor but a few inches above or below. Sometimes as much as a foot. Once it started it would get worse and worse until it reached a certain point, then would "reset" itself by going all the way down and up then down again. But first, it would bounce it's way back to the right place.

So you would get on, it would go down a few floors then stop. Then sometimes SLIP a few floors. Then pa-dunk! Pa-dunk! Pa-dunk! You would get bounced. Then you had to go for the nice long ride down, up, down. Sometimes it was fun, other times scary, and more often than not inconvenient. Nothing like taking 15 minutes to get to your car in the morning.

Dances.

Thank goodness you're ok!

We almost got stuck once- the door wouldn't shut and the elvator started going up and someone pushed the emergency button(I think) and stopped us from going up. We all got off that one and got right on another one. LOL It worked ok.

Being claustrophobic I'm glad I've never been stuck in one before. Not sure how I would react. Probably not well.

My brother is a UPS man and got stuck in one last year, it stopped just above a floor, the doors opened and he had to climb out of a 2 foot opening.

I would have had a Panic Attack!!!!!!!!!! Glad you are
okay.

I used to work on the 47th floor of the 110 story Sears Tower.

I never was stuck, but after hearing about some people that were, I had some fear that I would get stuck.

I can't explain the physics of it, but one time the building swayed from winds but the elevator to the top did not. So the elevator stopped abruptly on a high floor after it hit the sides of the elevator shaft. I never thought about tall buildings swaying the wind, but on windy days, if you were near the center of the building, you would hear it creak.

Also, at tall heights, even the most miniscule scratch on a window could cause it to shatter. Those in window offices, especially on the corners had a device to measure the wind pressure on the windows. If it got too great, an alarm would sound and they would have to leave their office.

There was also a very old office building in Chicago that only had a skimpy grate instead of an elevator door. For some reason, that bothered me looking at it. Of course, that was after I already had a little fear of elevators from working in the Sears Tower.

Terrible precursor to the World Trade Centers. When we had fire drills, we only went up one or two flowers. They told us that there was no way that the Tower could be totally evacuated in enough time. They also told us that the floors were fireproof so that going up a couple of floors would be sufficient. I stopped working there in 1979, but even then, it was a target for terrorists.

The winds in front of the Sears Tower could be tremendous. On very windy days, they would put ropes in front of the building. You would need to hold on to the ropes so that a wind gust would not blow you into the street. I was not a lightweight - I couldn't believe that the wind could actually move me a couple of feet.

Glad that you are OK.

I'm glad you're OK, Casey. I wouldn't have had a problem with being stuck or confined, either. I've never been stuck, though, so I guess it's easy to say.

I don't think you should climb out of an elevator car that it stuck between floors unless it's really an emergency or you can do it super-fast. If you were halfway out and it started to go down or up, you could be cut in half or pinned and die from the weight of it.

Woody almost was killed by a small elevator/dumbwaiter thing, he was working on the cable under it in the shaft, leaning halfway in, and not 1 second after he pulled himself to the outside, that sucker fell. It would have decapitated him. I was so mad and scared at what could have happened.

Mingo - when DB was stuck in the elevator, it was the maintenance men that told him to get out...I'm thinking (hope anyhow) they had the power off. It was either get out or stay for a few more hours.

Poor DB was almost cut in half by a train 20+ years ago, it didn't occur to me that the elevator could have cut him in half till you mentioned it. He needs to be more careful! lol

Lucky Woody too! Wow! Wouldn't have been a good way to go. I wouldn't want "killed by a dumbwaiter" in my obit. :-)

I got stuck once in Tampa. It was around 5 p.m. on a Friday so most people were gone. I wasn't panicked or anything, even though I'm claustophobic and scared of heights. I just kept pressing the red button and finally it went down. After I got home, THEN I panicked.

Mimi_boo, I happened to see Gen. Swartzkopf while I was attending a seminar (in Tampa again). He was speaking to a group in another conference room and my boss and I snuck out of our meeting and peeked in the door to listen to him. (He's a great speaker.) He is one gigantic man. Not just tall, but massive!!! We saw him again leaving his meeting--surrounded by tons of guards. He's cool! Don't think I've ever seen anyone that large.

Wow Flamey, that is scarey.

Sorry you were stuck Karen. I would have been frustrated too because I was not getting anywhere. LOL

I have been stuck a few times and been on whacky elevators that keep going up and down and the doors not opening. I've also had to step up out of elevators. My worse fear though if I ever got stuck was having to go out of the top of the car. I don't know if that only happens in movies. LOL

Monica, I wouldn't have wanted to drop 20 floors. I don't like that feeling of my stomach in my mouth.

There is an elevator in my sister's apartment building that is always getting stuck. I was in it last week and the darn thing went up to the top floor, down to the bottom floor, back up, back down and wouldn't open its doors. I never did reach my Sister's floor after I pushed the button. I had to walk down 2 floors.

Anne

Monica, your post made me never want to go in an elevator again!!! When I worked in San Francisco, I'd often use elevators in those high risers. I never liked it. Just the thought of getting trapped in an elevator upsets me!