A woman’s video inside a stalled elevator at the Texas Diabetes Institute capture a tense hour-long rescue by firefighters.
SAN ANTONIO — It was supposed to be a routine follow up visit to a doctor after surgery, but it didn’t work out that way.
Video of a period of entrapment on an elevator, shared on social media, offers a window into an experience most people hope they never see.
Five people recently ended up stuck in an elevator at the Texas Diabetes Institute on South Zarzamora Street and it took fire department rescue personnel more than an hour to free them.
Melissa Menchaca had the presence of mind to record video of the ordeal on her cell phone and then share it.
Menchaca shared high praise for the first responders who helped everyone climb to safety.
The video clips, which followed along as the rescue progressed, show both the fear and the humor of making the best of a challenging situation.
The first clip, shared at 1:24 p.m. on May 6, features a plaintive plea by those trapped: “Is somebody there?” followed by unseen firefighters reassuring the trapped by saying “Yeah, just give us a minute. We’re getting you out, alright?”
Melissa explains their predicament: “We are stuck in the elevator at my brother’s appointment. Fire department is trying to get us out! Please pray for us dear God!”
25 minutes later Melissa posted an update,”Turned off power and slowly moving us down to the first floor! Please continue to say prayers!”
With a rumbling hum in the background of the dimly lit box, Melissa said “They are slowly floating us down. The top door is broke and they have to get us out the bottom.”
When a firefighter asks if they’re doing okay, Melissa’s dad, who she says has a sense of humor that always shines through, laughingly asks for the phone number of a well known personal injury lawyer.
The tension is broken by the laughter inside and outside of the stalled car, with Melissa again offering up a prayer of deliverance.
“Lord Jesus be with us please heavenly father!” she exhorts.
As the car comes to rest, the rescue effort begins in earnest, with fire personnel lowering a ladder down an access port, so that people can begin to slowly climb out.
Melissa encourages her dad one slow step at a time with “You got this!” as he shimmies up in the dark and squeezes through the access hole.
The others help by steadying the ladder and offering encouragement and when dad makes his escape, he’s followed by Melissa’s brother Peter.
“Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. You got this!” is the advice that nudges him up and out.
Moving slowly and with labored breathing, he tells the rescuers he is recovering from recent surgery on his stomach.
“Keep climbing and I’ll grab you,” is the response from the unseen firefighter. But it takes more than one ladder to make it out of the shaft, as the car is between floors.
The video shows Peter climbing a second ladder to make it to freedom, one labored step at a time.
Melissa said Peter was hurt during the process and one video clip shows him being wheeled away on a gurney.
Melissa said “My brother Peter opened his wound so they are taking him by ambulance to (the hospital).”
Peter did eventually have another surgery to repair damage and family members report the procedure went well, but he was in quite a bit of pain.
Of the hospital trip, Melissa posted “Darn right I took the stairs instead of the elevator to be with him!”
While Melissa and the two men made it out first, in the lobby, a team of firefighters can be seen with gear, ready to help reach the last two friends left behind.
Melissa explains “We got out on two different floors, but they couldn’t so they are going to try to drop the floor a little manually.”
As the posts gained traction on social media, one woman posted a screenshot with a big yellow circle added, crowing “That’s my brother,” to which Melissa replied: “That’s awesome! Please thank him for me!!! They were AMAZING!”
Three days after the rescue, Melissa shared an update, posting more photos with thanks for all the love and support the family received, writing to the fire department “These men are the real heroes! Thank you Station 15 and 11!”
The Texas Diabetes Institute is part of the University Health System.
A spokesman provided the following statement by email: “We are very sorry that this family experienced this. When an elevator malfunctions, if need be, we contact the San Antonio Fire Department to assist as quickly as possible, and then we contact the elevator company to have it repaired.”
They went on to explain, “Elevator entrapments are more common than most people realize, but they’re usually inconvenient rather than dangerous. In the U.S., fire departments respond to tens of thousands of elevator-rescue calls each year.”
Their explanation includes additional background, pointing out people are rarely in immediate danger inside a stuck elevator because they are designed not to fall and the cars are supported by steel cables and automatic braking systems.
A San Antonio fire spokesman provided the following safety tips:
Immediate Action Steps: Remain calm, press the emergency call button. If no response call 911.
Remain Calm and Patient, take slow breaths and wait.
Do not try to force the doors open: You could be stuck between floors.
Do not attempt to climb out and or jump: This is dangerous. The safest place is inside until help arrives. Elevators are well-ventilated, so you will not run out of air.