Chicago skyscraper elevator plunges 84 floors — and everyone survives

[webfact]

Skyscraper elevator plunges 84 floors — and everyone survives

CBC News

 

'I believed we were going to die,' tourist from Mexico City says

 

Six people, including a pregnant woman, survived an elevator plunge of 84 floors, after a cable in the shaft of one of Chicago's tallest buildings snapped early Friday morning.

 

The group got into an elevator in the North Michigan Avenue skyscraper — formerly the John Hancock Center — after leaving a restaurant on the 95th floor around 12:30 a.m. 

 

"At the beginning, I believed we were going to die," Jaime Montemayor, a tourist from Mexico City, told local Chicago TV station, CBS2. "We were going down and then I felt that we were falling down and then I heard a noise — clack, clack, clack, clack, clack, clack." The group later found out one of the cables that holds up the elevator broke, and the car fell rapidly to the 11th floor. 

 

Full story: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/elevator-plunge-chicago-1.4913707

 

-- CBC News 2018-11-21

[kotsak]

I bet the fall sped up the digestion process. ????

[ThreeEyedRaven]

Praise God for the braking systems on elevators, meaning that probably nothing more than some clean underwear was required.

[Crossy]

Good job it wasn't an 83 floor building.

 

Seriously, I thought these things were only supposed to drop a few inches on the failure of a cable with multiple redundancy on the cable too.

 

At least that's what the manufacturers tell us ...

 

[bluesofa]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

"At the beginning, I believed we were going to die,"

Fortunately, she was wrong on so many levels.

[stevkob]

Oh man the lawyers are going to love this one.

But imagine falling from the 95th floor only stopping at 11?

 

Wonder if any of them were getting ready to jump in the air around level 2

 

[Damrongsak]

Yesterday, I was in a two-story elevator at an old folks home.  Took about a minute to go up one story.  It wouldn't scare the old folks, but I was concerned that I wouldn't get out. A bit like "The Twilight Zone".

[holy cow cm]

Hard to know when to jump up at the right last second before it hits G level. 

[Mosha]

4 hours ago, Crossy said:

Good job it wasn't an 83 floor building.

 

Seriously, I thought these things were only supposed to drop a few inches on the failure of a cable with multiple redundancy on the cable too.

 

At least that's what the manufacturers tell us ...

 

That's all they fell where I worked, and if they fell further, they failed the safety inspection.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Six more to join the ranks of 'the little people'........

[wgdanson]

6 hours ago, Crossy said:

Good job it wasn't an 83 floor building.

 

Seriously, I thought these things were only supposed to drop a few inches on the failure of a cable with multiple redundancy on the cable too.

 

At least that's what the manufacturers tell us ...

 

Isn't that what Mr Otis invented 100 odd years ago. As soon as the tension goes off the supporting cable, the things come out of the sides and connect with a ratchet on the shaft wall

 

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anecdotes-from-the-archive/hold-the-elevator-how-otis-s-early-systems-worked/

[Emster23]

6 hours ago, kotsak said:

I bet the fall sped up the digestion process. ????

I might imagine I'd be hungry again, having lost my lunch on elevator floor....

[attrayant]

I wonder if they got into another elevator to finish the remaining 11 floors.

[YayaManos]

10 hours ago, kotsak said:

I bet the fall sped up the digestion process. ????

Let's hope you are in the same situation, what will be your reactions!

[Skeptic7]

11 hours ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

Praise God for the braking systems on elevators, meaning that probably nothing more than some clean underwear was required.

Yeah that "god" is a helluva brake mechanic, but not so much on good cables. Between sports and elevators...thousands of children die from hunger/malnutrition on a daily basis. Praise god!  

[Tug]

Elevators in the USA are extreamly safe I would be way more surprised if someone was killed

[alex8912]

3 hours ago, car720 said:

I have always hated the damn things but then again I have also always hated aeroplanes and just about everything else as well, so what can you do?

They are called airplanes now. 

[alex8912]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

Elevators in the USA are extreamly safe I would be way more surprised if someone was killed

Your comment is kind of silly. This happened in one of the most iconic buildings in the USA. THIS is pathetic as far as I’m concerned. Just imagine if it happened in Thailand at least 10 pages of crap.  

[alex8912]

3 hours ago, car720 said:

Only by our American cousins.

Pray tell what do they call an Aerogram.

Snail mail ( I don’t anyone uses this mail anymore).  “Pray tell” is pretty ancient English as well. 

[Basil B]

17 hours ago, Tug said:

Elevators in the USA are extreamly safe I would be way more surprised if someone was killed

Yes, more chance of being a victim of a mass shooting in an elevator these days.