You can hardly believe the day is finally here - you’ve worked tirelessly for months
to claw your way up the leaderboard, and now all that’s left for you to do is to ride
the elevator up to the arena floor and take your place in video game history at the Fortnite
World Cup - what could possibly go wrong?
As the elevator doors close behind you and the car starts to rise towards the arena,
you feel a shudder and then...nothing - the elevator isn’t moving; you’re stuck, and
panic immediately starts to set in as you frantically search your brain for any clue
as to what to actually do if you’re trapped in an elevator.
“No, no, no!” you yell, as you frantically mash buttons on the elevator’s control panel
to no effect.
This can’t be happening, not right now!
You can’t believe your whole life is about to be ruined by a broken elevator.
You’ve worked so hard to get here, and you absolutely can’t miss this opportunity.
You’ve always loved video games, maybe a little bit too much - your parents certainly
don’t understand it - but it wasn’t until you saw the first ever Fortnite World Cup
that you realized there might actually be a future for you in video games.
After 13 year old Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf won the tournament - and the $3 million dollar
prize - you were inspired to take your favorite hobby from pastime to career.
As your blood pressure rises and you break out in a cold sweat, your panicking brain
starts to come up with some crazy ideas.
You remember watching the Die Hard movies as a kid, and picture John McClain spidermaning
around the building’s elevator shaft.
How did he do that?
Think, think, think.
You look up - there’s an air vent in the roof.
If you could pop it off, you might be able to crawl out the top of the car.
You jump up and try to reach the grate, but it’s just out of reach.
Right about the time you’re balancing on the hand railing and trying to reach over
to pull down the grate, you realize what a dumb idea this is.
How are you going to pull yourself up through the hole?
A year of full-time gaming certainly hasn’t done any miracles for your biceps.
And even if you could get through, then what?
Where would you go?
And what if the car suddenly started to move?
You shudder as you imagine taking a wild ride on top of a runaway elevator car, and you
climb down from the railing.
Okay, so climbing out the top isn’t an option, but you need to get out of here now - think!
What can you try next?
As you stand there panting, it hits you: Of course - the door!
You’ll just pry it open and climb out.
Simple.
Why didn’t you think of that first?
You waste no time and quickly start working the doors apart.
It takes quite a bit of effort for you to pry the heavy doors apart, but eventually
you’re able to wedge them partially open.
It looks like the car is stuck halfway between floors, but the gap looks plenty big enough
for you to slip out.
You poke your head through the door to take a quick look around the floor outside - it
looks mostly deserted, except for a janitor mopping at the end of the hall.
As you’re plotting out the best way to crawl out of the elevator, you hear footsteps running
towards you and someone shouting “Whoa, what the heck do you think you’re doing!?
Are you crazy!?”
You step back into the car just as the janitor reaches the door.
He lays down on the floor and pears through the gap at you, looking terrified.
“What were you thinking!?
Are you trying to get killed!?” he shouts.
You start to explain about the tournament, and the elevator, and your dreams and how
it’s all falling apart.
Just as you’re starting to get really worked up, he stops you.
“It’s okay, you’re gonna be fine,” he says, softening.
“You just need to stay calm, and we’re gonna get you outta here.”
Stay calm?, you think.
How can you possibly stay calm right now?
Seeing your distress, the janitor starts talking.
“Lucky for you, I used to work in New York City, and this ain’t my first elevator mishap!
In fact, I have a proven, 3-step process to follow when you’re trapped in an elevator.
Interested?”
Interested?
You’ve never been more interested in anything - except video games - in your life!
“Yes sir, I sure know all about elevators” he says.
“Did you know that in the year 2015 alone, 51 people were injured and 5 people died in
New York City elevator accidents?
It’s such a big problem that the mayor did a whole big campaign about it.
That’s how I know all about this 3 step plan.
They put ads all over town, on the buses, in the papers, on the radio - ‘Stay put.
Stay safe’ was the tagline.”
You’re trying to be patient and hear him out, but the clock is ticking and all this
chit chat isn’t helping get you out of here.
“That’s great and all,” you say, “but what’s the first step to get me out of here?”
The janitor smiles.
“Step 1”, he says, “is ‘Don’t Panic’.”
You are about to start yelling again when he cuts you off and continues.
“You’re no good to yourself if you’re so panicked that you’re not thinkin’ straight,
and no one’s gonna be able to get in there to help you, so you might as well take some
deep breaths and chill the heck out”.
You realize that he’s right, so you try to take some slow, steady breaths and calm
your racing heart.
Eventually, the combination of the breathing and the janitor’s calm presence and rambling
stories seems to be working, and you can feel some rational thought returning to your brain.
“Okay”, you say, “I think I’m ready for Step 2.”
“Right”, says the janitor.
“This step is very important, so pay attention.
I want you to look at the control panel, and find the emergency button.
It’s probably a big, red button…”
You immediately flush with embarassment - how could you be so stupid?
The emergency button!
Why didn’t you think of that in the first place?
As if he can read your thoughts, the janitor says “Don’t beat yourself up, kid.
There’s a reason that step number 1 is ‘Don’t Panic’ - it’s hard to think straight when
your brain is going a mile a minute!”
Feeling slightly better, you press the emergency call button and within a few seconds, you’re
connected to the stadium’s maintenance department.
You explain what’s happened and where you are, and the person on the other end tells
you just to ‘hang tight’, and that help is on the way.
Sure, you think as you disconnect, you’ll ‘hang tight’ - what else are you going
to do?
“Step 2,” the janitor is saying, “is ‘Call for help’.
By law, every elevator has to have an emergency button of some kind.
But if, for some reason, there isn’t one, or if it’s not working, well, you better
start bangin’ on those doors and hope someone hears you.
The last thing you want to do is try to climb out on your own - you never know when the
thing will start back up - or let go! - and that’s how people get themselves killed.”
You understand what he’s getting at, but as the minutes slip by with no sign of rescue,
you start to think that you’re going to have no choice but to take the chance and
crawl your way to freedom.
Almost as if he can tell what you’re plotting, the janitor pipes up again.
“Are ya ready for step 3?” he asks.
In your relief that help is on the way, you almost forgot that there was a step 3.
“Sure,” you say, humoring him.
“What’s step 3?”
“We wait!” he laughs, as if he’s just said the funniest thing in the world.
You fail to see the humor in it.
“No matter what, it’s gonna take some time for help to get to you, and even some
time for them to get you out safely once they get here, so you might as well get comfortable.”
He can tell that you aren’t buying in to step 3, so he goes on.
“This may not seem like an important step at all, but panicking in a situation like
this can get someone hurt.
Keeping calm and keeping the mood positive is a key step.
If you’re alone and have a cell phone on you, that can be a useful distraction.
So can a book, some deep breathing or some mental games.
If you’re with other people, playing some icebreaker games can help ease the tension
and keep the mood positive until help arrives.”
“Don’t worry, kid”, he concludes.
“I’ll keep you company until help gets here.
Let’s see, how can we pass the time?”
You have an idea.
You’re not sure it’s a good one, considering the circumstances, but you have nothing better
to do and you can’t help but be curious.
You decide to go for it.
“Hey”, you start, tentatively.
“Back when you worked in New York, you said you saw your fair share of elevator mishaps.
What did you mean by that?”
“Oh sure,” he says.
“In a city with more than 70,000 elevators, you’d be hard pressed not to have some first-hand
experience with one gone wrong!
I remember my first one.
It was New Year’s Eve, and a young man who was attending a party at the building saved
the life of one of the residents when he pushed her out of the elevator as the car let go
and began to fall down the shaft.
He was trapped between the elevator and the door, and ended up dying later at the hospital.”
He shakes his head sadly.
“There’s two types of elevators, you see - this here is an older hydraulic model, runs
on fluid-filled pistons that move the car up and down.
That one was a newer electric model that uses a counterbalance weight to raise and lower
the car.
The counter weight must have let go somehow.”
“There was another one, though, that still haunts me to this day.
It’s so sad because it could have been prevented.
The elevator was overloaded, so when it stopped at the lobby it wasn’t level with the floor.
This man was too impatient, so he tried to get off the elevator, but as he stepped through
the doors the car started moving again, crushing his head and chest.
So sad…”
He trails off, lost in thought.
Just as the reality of your brush with death starts to sink in, help finally arrives.
A team from security shows up and tells you to stand back while they lock out the elevator
and make it safe for you to exit.
The second they give you the all clear, you leap from the elevator and fall gratefully
to your knees on the solid ground of the hallway.
But your relief doesn’t last long - you have a tournament to win!
You scramble to your feet and race to the nearest stairwell - no way are you getting
into another elevator.
You don’t have a second to spare so you shout a thank-you to the janitor and sprint
for the arena, taking the stairs two at a time.
If you thought this video was fascinating, be sure and check out our other videos, like
this one called “I Was Trapped in a Canyon for 127 Hours”, or maybe you’ll like this
other video.