Elevator nightmare: 70-year-old trapped for four days – safety at stake!

Elevator nightmare: 70-year-old trapped for four days – safety at stake!

Elevators are part of everyday life for many of us. How quickly it can happen that a trip turns into an unexpected adventure! This happened recently in Germany, when a man from Osnabrück was stuck in an elevator for four days. The mid-70s man didn't have a cell phone on hand and the emergency call button in the elevator was broken. Not to mention water and food! It was all the more gratifying that his son, together with the rescue workers, was finally able to free him, as My District reports.

This alarming situation once again sheds light on a widespread problem: the safety of elevator systems. In Vienna alone, the professional fire brigade was deployed almost 3,500 times in 2024 to rescue people from stuck elevators. A worrying trend that has more than just local dimensions.

Dangers due to technical defects

In Germany, numerous elevators with dangerous defects are causing a stir. According to a recent report by Lift Journal, around 3,000 elevators were shut down and could not be repaired immediately. Of almost 657,000 elevator systems tested, 0.7 percent had dangerous defects that could pose a serious risk. Typical defects include defective door locks and inadequate elevator controls.

What is particularly worrying is that accidents involving elevators have been repeatedly reported in recent years. In 2021, there were 744 accidents in Germany, in which unfortunately two people lost their lives. The TÜV Association points out that many incidents are not recorded, which increases the number of unreported cases. “The safety problem is acute,” says Dr. Joachim Bühler from the TÜV association is clear, as is also stated in the Plant Safety Report 2022.

The need for maintenance and security

With the increasing number of cyber attacks that have increased since the Ukraine war, elevator systems are also being targeted by hackers. Critical infrastructures must be protected at all costs. This requires regular maintenance and independent checks. A nationwide facility register is also planned to record all elevators and improve safety standards. The issue of cybersecurity should not be neglected either, as there are still many untested elevators.

Given these facts, it is to be hoped that both operators and the responsible institutions have a good hand in ensuring the safety of the elevators. Because every trip should ultimately be a carefree experience - without unexpected adventures.