Killer lifts: What to do when you’re trapped in one

In October 2015, an 85 year old woman had her hand severed by a lift. It happened at Block 322 Tah Ching Road. For some reason the lift door sensors (which usually stop the doors when a hard object gets in the way) failed. The woman also had a fractured leg.

In January 2016, a businessman took a video of a lift in Block 114, Edgefield Plains. The lift descended ten storeys with the doors still open, so it’s a good thing he was there to keep his son far from the opening.

In March 2016, a 36 year old maid was trapped in a lift for 90 minutes. The elevator, at Block 317 Ang Mo Kio Street 31, shot up 17 storeys after the brakes failed.

In May 2016, a 77 year old man using a mobility scooter was killed, while backing out of a lift. The incident happened at Block 247, Pasir Ris Street 21. For unknown reasons, the lift stopped about 15 centimetres too high, causing the mobility device to topple as the victim backed out.

In June 2016, a 59 year old woman fractured her spine after the lift she was in shot up to the 11th floor. Then it plummeted to the third floor, and shot back up to the 12th floor, all the while shaking up the woman inside. It was hard for rescuers to get to her because the lift didn’t align with the floor when it stopped.

Also in June 2016, residents reported that a lift in Block 299A Compassvale Street, Sengkang, was behaving erratically. It occasionally plunged between floors, jerked to a halt between them, or just refused to arrive on certain floors. This time the authorities put a stop to it before any more casualties could be racked up.

We have no idea why this sudden spate of lift malfunctions has happened. But in the interest of not losing any readers, we found out what to do when your lift goes nuts:

Scenario #1: Elevator free fall

This is when the lift plunges. To date, we haven’t had a lift go into free fall to the point where it crashes to the ground; but the jerking motions when it plunges several stories, and then comes to a sudden halt, can cause injuries.

According to what research we could muster, the best thing to do when this happens is to lie down flat. Do not attempt to “jump” as the lift comes to a halt (there is almost no way you can time this, and you will not be “fine” as the force will still transfer).

Lying down flat helps to spread out the force if the lift does crash to the ground. It also takes pressure off your knee joints and neck, if the lift bounces up and down like a yo-yo (crouching or remaining upright can cause whiplash and yes, a damaged spine).

There is no guarantee you will be fine just because you’re lying down, but it’s probably your best shot.

On the plus side, a plunging lift often creates an air cushion under it, as it falls quickly through a lift shaft. In 1945, Ms. Betty Lou Oliver survived a fall of 75 storeys, when an Empire State Building elevator failed (this is the current world record, although we suspect she didn’t set out to make one). So to be clear, it is possible to survive such an event.

If it reassures you, lift designs in Singapore involve the use of counterweights (heavy weights that pull the lift up as they go down), so a sudden plunge all the way to the bottom is almost impossible.

Scenario #2: Elevator shoots up, or suddenly stops and then shoots up

Elevators may shoot up in the event of a power surge, or worn out hydraulics. This is usually nothing to worry about. As with scenario #1, you just need to watch out for stress on your neck and joints – there may be a sharp jerk when it comes to a halt. In these cases, simply sitting down should help.

If the elevator stops abruptly, you may want to relax your body and grab a railing, or sit down if you are not steady (e.g. On crutches). Sometimes people fall when an elevator stops, and then suddenly starts up again.

Scenario #3: Lift door sensors fail

The door closure itself doesn’t exert enough pressure to sever a limb (although it can result in serious bruising or fractures). What usually happens is that the lift doors close and “pin” a limb in place, and then the lift moves and severs the limb.

Your best bet here is preventive. Don’t charge at a lift as the doors are closing, and try to shoulder or pry the doors apart. If you see that the lift doors are repeatedly opening and closing, then use common sense and find another lift. That’s either a prelude to a horror movie, or a sign that it’s malfunctioning.

Scenario #4: Lift is stuck without power

Even without the fan, it is almost impossible that you will suffocate to death. Things might get sweaty and smell ripe (especially if there are plenty of people in the lift), but you won’t die from lack of oxygen.

Call for rescue and wait. Do not open the hatch at the top of the lift, or attempt to pry the doors open for air. Damaging the lift could prolong the rescue process.

Scenario #5: Lift is not aligned with the floor

If there is a misalignment between elevator car and the floor, consider how significant it is. If you would need to actually climb to get out, don’t – call for help instead. When the lift car sinks below the actual floor that’s often because it’s overloaded by the way – so don’t insist on cramming into crowded lifts, when the warning beeps are going off.

If the lift car is above the actual floor, do not jump up and down to try and “level it”. Just step off carefully if you can. If you can’t (e.g. The lift is stuck halfway between floors), then call for emergency rescue and wait. Do not try to crawl out.

Yell at your condo management / town council if the lifts are not working. Don’t keep quiet.

If everyone keeps ignoring the little malfunctions in lifts, those lifts could keep getting worse. For the safety of the next person getting in, don’t just shrug off misalignments or temporary power failures. Sometimes the management is not aware of what’s going on, and something like a damaged brake line could be degrading further.

So call the people in charge and holler. You may save someone a hospital visit.

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