A woman trapped in an elevator of a newly purchased residence in Taichung’s Longjing District (龍井) was able to use her wireless earphones’ built-in functions to call emergency services last month.
A woman surnamed Hsu (許) was going downstairs on Jan. 21 when the elevator made a weird noise and became stuck between floors three and four, according to the Wurih Precinct’s Longjing Police Station.
Hsu said she had left her phone outside the elevator and tried to get help by banging on the elevator door and yelling, but as the building was mostly empty, she received no response, police said.
Photo: Screen grab from the precinct’s Facebook page
Hsu then realized she was still wearing her wireless earphones and used her phone’s digital assistant function to contact emergency services, police said.
Police contacted elevator engineers and locksmiths as they responded, they added.
After freeing Hsu, engineers said the elevator’s main switchboard appears to have malfunctioned after a blackout.
Because residents of the building had not yet officially moved in, the building has not had a general inspection, leading to the elevator failure, police said.
Wurih Precinct captain Hsieh Po-hsien (謝博賢) said that people trapped in an elevator should not panic, not force open the elevator doors and calmly contact emergency services, as the risk of asphyxiation is minimal.
Trying to open the doors and escape on one’s own could end in injury or a fall down the elevator shaft, he said.
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