Seniors, baby rescued from elevator

The city Fire Department was called shortly after 7 p.m. to help 10 people - including several seniors and a mom with her infant son - who were trapped in the elevator between the first and second floors in the Chase Street venue.

Rescuers had to force open shaft doors to get to the elevator car through a roof hatch. A ladder was lowered into the car, and four of the people were able to climb out before it was reactivated and returned to the first floor.

The ordeal lasted for a little more than an hour.

The malfunction occurred because the elevator was overloaded. It has a maximum capacity of 2,500 pounds, and the group of 10 was too much to carry, officials said.

The elevator, which was inspected in January, is currently out of service, said Donna Anderson, a Maryland Hall spokesman.

Lt. John Bowes, a spokesman for the fire department, said that crews were at the scene until 8:42 p.m.

"How was the dismount?" said Katie Hale, the first person to climb out of the elevator.

She had been stuck there with her three sons, including notably unfussy 7-month-old Jonah, who was reunited with his mom moments later when he was raised by firefighters through the roof hatch of the elevator.

The family would usually have taken the stairs, but because they had a stroller they took the elevator instead.

People in the car were calm, panic-free and friendly, Hale said.

But it was certainly uncomfortable being stuck for that long, said Mary Ellen Isaac, one of the first to be rescued.

"I said, 'Just get me out of here.' I knew I was going to get cramps in my legs," said Isaac, 88, of Annapolis.

Many of the trapped people had come from the Annapolis Senior Center for a celebration of Lincoln's 200th birthday.

County Executive John R. Leopold was there, along with several members of his staff. The county administration helped organize the outing for the seniors.

"This all seemed to be something they all were interested in," said Erik Robey, director of Community and Constituent Services.

When they were rescued, some of the elevator passengers required minor medical attention, and emergency crews treated them in the hallway on the first floor.

Nobody was hospitalized because of the incident, Bowes said.

Others waited on the lower floors for their trapped friends to be rescued, worried but grateful that they weren't the ones to be stuck.

"I was actually going to be on the next flight, but the next flight never arrived," said Tam Brown of Annapolis.

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