The Dialog’s Staff Reporter Tina Todaro returns
to the scene of her elevator ordeal at St. James. Photo: Preeteesh Peetabh Singh/The Dialog
I walked into George Brown College (GBC) for work on Nov. 13 with the hopes of having an easy day, until I got stuck in one of the elevators.
Six inches off the ground was my life enclosed in a tiny, packed space, clinging to the cables that supported me. Stuck in the elevator surrounded by 11 other students, I began to panic.
How long would I be standing here?
Though other students seemed unfazed by this incident, laughing and joking about the situation, I on the other hand was getting a case of vertigo knowing I was hanging between the ground and safety.
Elbow-to-elbow students crammed the 19-person maximum capacity elevator in hopes that maybe the door would re-open if the ‘open door’ button was pressed – but sadly that wasn’t to be.
With my luck, and my ability to be a tad bit over dramatic at times, my heart began to race. Just typical locked-in-an-elevator anxiety, topped off with heat and claustrophobia.
It appeared as if I was the only one who was nervous. Why does no one else feel or sense the danger in this situation, while I’m in the back of the elevator praying I don’t die?
I was looking around hoping to find a way out, when in reality there was no escape. With my heart rate increasing and ability to breathe decreasing, I had to leave this elevator.
One male student, in an effort to rescue the trapped students, attempted to pry open the doors. Demonstrating some struggle, it appeared as if we may have to wait for help.
Successfully managing to open the doors with the second attempt, we all hopped out of the elevator quickly to avoid getting caught in the doors.
According to security this was a very dangerous act, obviously, but I wasn’t about to stand there. Who knows what would’ve happened if we had not left that elevator. Would the elevator have shot up or come crashing down six inches?
In either case, it was not an experience that I will brag about and one that I will remember as the reason for my elevated fears.
