Elevator rescue in Ann Arbor requires rope system to save trapped hospital employee
Elevator Rescue inside children's hospital in Ann Arbor. Photo via Ann Arbor Fire Department.
(FOX 2) - A broken elevator in Ann Arbor turned into a rescue operation this weekend when a Michigan Medicine employee became trapped.
The individual was stuck above the 7th floor with no means of accessing it from one of the landing doors. With the elevator's brakes locked, it took some clever thinking and emergency crew dexterity to retrieve the trapped worker.
Big picture view:
The Ann Arbor Fire Department responded to C.S. Mott Children's Hospital on Sunday following reports of an elevator car stuck with someone inside.
Due to the design of the elevator, the location where it became stuck was inaccessible from the outside. A technician reviewing the stuck elevator said it would not move without major repairs.
That left emergency crews with two options: breach the hospital wall or deploy a rope rescue.
The individual who was trapped opted for the latter, according to the fire department, which said the employee was uninjured and had remained calm.
Dig deeper:
Crews first secured the elevator and cut power to it, locking it in place. From there, firefighters were lowered to the elevator car and placed the occupant in a harness.
They then raised the occupant up, retrieving them on the 8th floor with the help of a mechanical rope system.
The individual was rescued without injury.
Crews used a rope system to retrieve the trapped occupant inside the hospital. Photo via Ann Arbor Fire Department.
The Source: An update from the Ann Arbor Fire Department was cited while reporting this story.