Have you ever been trapped in an elevator? As someone who is terrified of the things, it's my worst nightmare.
Elevators are an interesting part of our society. We pack into them with complete strangers and then, usually, look straight forward at the door in silence, waiting to arrive at our floor. This is just the code of conduct we've all come to accept: ignoring each other in elevators is actually the polite thing to do.
For some folks, the thought of getting caught in an awkward situation in an elevator is even scarier than getting trapped between floors. Either way, you're confined to a very small space suspended by cables somewhere either dozens or hundreds of feet up in the air.
Have you ever had an embarrassing or terrifying elevator moment? One of the scariest times of my life was when I was stuck 40 stories up in the air for 45 minutes. Luckily, there were others there with me to try and keep me calm! The elevator horror stories below are equally stressful and may make you hesitate getting into your next lift.
Please SHARE with your family and friends on Facebook to see if they have any elevator stories worse than these.
Thumbnail Sources: YouTube 1, 2
1.
"I was a teenager, in a hotel elevator in NYC with a younger girl I knew and I couldn't resist the urge, so I jumped up in the air, and when I landed, the elevator wobbled and froze in between floors. The girl started bawling, believing we would fall to our deaths 42 floors below.
"We were stuck there for 30 minutes before they opened the doors and had us slide out." – Reddit User
2.
"I thought I was alone in the elevator. When I'm alone, I'll typically lean back and let the wall catch me and I ride to my destination in a reclined lean.
"Well… I fell backward directly into a 60-year-old secretary. I righted myself and turned around to see a woman too horrified to speak because a 30-year-old man just intentionally fell on her.
"We both shared three or four seconds of awkward silence before the elevator dinged on my floor and I walked sideways off." – Reddit User
3.
"At the regional math competition my freshman year, we went to Kansas City and spent the night at a hotel. When we got there, we decided to see how many people we could fit in the elevator. Being the math team, we added everyone's approximate weight and we concluded we were far below the maximum weight limit, despite having squeezed 21 or 22 of us into the small space.
"We hit the button for our floor, the doors closed, and nothing happened. About three minutes later the elevator went down a floor to the basement, opened, and refused to do anything else. It was 'out of order' for the rest of our stay." – Reddit User
4.
"I'm a belly dancer. One night I was dancing in an outdoor show where I wouldn't have a place to change into my costume. I decided to change at my office because it was late and the building was mostly empty. I changed in the bathroom and realized I didn't have my cover up. I wrapped myself in one of my veils, which works in a pinch, and hopped in the elevator. My breasts were really pushed up and out in my costume, not hidden well by my veil.
"As the door closed, our corporate attorney pushed the button to open them again and got in not knowing I was in there. He is an extremely stiff, formal man who never cracked a smile or socialized with anybody. We then shared the longest elevator ride ever where the awkwardness was tangible. I don't know if he was fighting the urge to look or what, but it was uncomfortable.
"I just watched the numbers count down, watching him squirm out of the corner of my eye." – tah4349
5.
"In high school, a buddy and I got stuck in an elevator for four hours. They had to drag the maintenance guy away from his daughter's wedding." – punkisdread
6.
"I was transporting a prisoner to his hospital room with three huge super-max guards. I'll never forget the grin on the prisoner's face the moment the elevator stopped… Each guard put their hand on their gun as I slid in the corner and phoned for help. Only took 10 minutes or so, but I totally thought it was part of an elaborate escape plan." – Ping_Islander
7.
"I took my dog out for a walk, and on our way back, he let out the most disgusting and vile fart ever. And a mini poop bit. Luckily, there was nobody else in the lift, but I still suffered." – d00d_pagebau5
8.
"I was stuck in an elevator for 53 minutes in a 14-story building. I was alone and it was very dark for about 30 minutes." – Adeloney
9.
"I was in an elevator with mirrors on all the walls, and this couple gets in and starts making out in the elevator. So I try to look away but there are mirrors everywhere and I can't avoid it." – charlieman
10.
"Was in an elevator with some 70-plus-year-old man. The man let out the loudest fart that I have ever heard. Looks me right in the eye and says 'Wasn't me!' Door proceeds to open and then he walks out onto his floor." – Reddit User
11.
"I once had this lady tell me to hold the doors for her husband who was getting coffee. It was all well and good until the elevator kept saying doors closing and it actually closed on my arm. Had to get two guys to pull it open and my arm nearly broke." – hyuga488
Have you ever had an embarrassing or terrifying moment in an elevator? Please SHARE with family and friends on Facebook to see what stories they have!
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
