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RE: Report on the Elevator Accident at Crane Industries

My involvement with the "elevator incident" at Crane Industries began when I received a frantic phone call from Mrs. Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane. Mrs. Crane was obviously in shock, but I was able to get more information from Mr. Chad Harris, who was also at the scene. At that time, I learned that Ms. Whitney Russell was trapped in an elevator at Crane Industries, with the cables about to break. I also learned that Mr. Ethan Winthrop was electrocuted and badly hurt when he entered the shaft and tried to secure the safety chain to the elevator.

I arrived at the scene, and found it to be just as Mr. Harris described. Mr. Winthrop's seemingly lifeless body was on the top of the elevator car, which dangled precariously in the shaft. As I looked on, the cables frayed more severely until finally they snapped in two forcing the elevator to plummet down the shaft. Fortunately, the elevator's fall was broken at approximately the fifteenth floor when the car turned at a slight angle and jammed itself against the wall. At this point, Mr. Winthrop was placed in even greater danger since he was now closer to the edge of the angled elevator cab.

As I waited for the Rescue Squad to arrive, I headed for the seventeenth floor, where the express elevator stops. Once there, I used a crowbar to pry open the express elevator doors so I could see the situation in the shaft. At this point, I also learned that Ms. Russell was not the only one in the elevator. Mr. Julian Crane was also a passenger in the elevator. As I continued to wait for the squad (they were held up due to a drowning in East Marion), Mr. Winthrop's position changed so he was now hanging over the side of the elevator close to tumbling to his death. Unfortunately a civilian, the aforementioned Mrs. Crane, decided to "save" Ethan by jumping into the elevator shaft.

Just after Mrs. Crane's jump, Mr. Hank Bennett and the rescue squad arrived on the scene. But before we could take any action, Mrs. Crane lost hold of the cable she was holding onto and fell on top of the elevator cab. This near-fatal fall was followed by another life-threatening situation as Mr. Winthrop slipped further down the side of the elevator. At this point, Mrs. Crane grabbed hold of him and pulled him on top of the cart.

Once the rescue squad was in place, a plan was formulated to attach a chain to the top of the elevator, in order to pull them all up to safety. The chain was lowered and Mrs. Crane attached it to the car. However, soon the chain gave way and the elevator plummeted once again. At that point, Mr. David Hastings was able to use the manual brake in the basement to stop the elevator before it hit bottom.

The elevator stopped just a few floors above the lobby level and Officer Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald was sent into the shaft to retrieve Mr. Winthrop and Mrs. Crane. Meanwhile, Mr. TC Russell, Mr. Harris and myself pried open the elevator to get to Mr. Crane and Ms. Russell. The paramedics arrived on the scene and the injured parties were taken to the hospital.

As of now there are no fatalities due to this incident. Ms. Russell, Mrs. Crane, Mr. Winthrop, and Mr. Crane have all suffered different degrees of injuries. This report will be completed upon learning of their status once they have been examined. In addition, an investigation will be opened to determine the exact cause of the accident.

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