A student who was stuck in a falling elevator Feb. 14 in Oklahoma United Methodist Hall dormitory is asking for a solution.
Stephanie Nozomi-Krichena, percussion performance sophomore, was riding the elevator from the fourth floor to the first floor when it started falling in increments.
“I started freaking out, like what if it had dropped from the fourth floor to L2,” Nozomi-Krichena said. “Because that’s like a six-story drop.”
Nozomi-Krichena said she was in the falling elevator for about three minutes. She first tried to communicate with a student on the other side of the elevator door before she pressed the emergency button in the elevator and spoke to police.
“I was very frantic and crying and not able to communicate at all,” she said.
When Nozomi-Krichena reached the first floor, she met with campus police and housing officials. She was in a panic, but was uninjured and did not need medical attention, officers said.
“She was completely upset,” Police Chief Jennifer Rodgers said. “She was hysterical. I’m sure it would freak anybody out.”
Rodgers said OCU Police Lt. Michael Kavenius tested the elevator afterward and experienced the same issue.
Police decided no one was getting back on that elevator, Rodgers said.
Nozomi-Krichena said she had to attend class five minutes after the incident and was still distressed.
Persisting issues
There was no indication the elevator wasn’t functional at that time, Nozomi-Krichena said, but she heard reports of this type of incident happening before in Methodist Hall.
Nozomi-Krichena said the elevators have had issues in the past with maintenance officials actually going to fix them.
Nozomi-Krichena said she was told something similar happened to another group of students several weeks ago, which resulted in the placement of an “out of order” sign that was taken down by the time she used the elevator.
There have been other instances of the “close” button not functioning on the elevator door, Nozomi-Krichena said. She also said she hopes maintenance fixes the problem because she’s afraid of living in Methodist Hall.
“I really hope that this time maintenance can come and permanently fix this issue,” she said. “We’ve all had issues like that, and people could have been hurt.”
Kevin Culbertson, head resident assistant for Methodist Hall, said facilities officials are working with the elevator contractor KONE to repair the issue.
“It has something do with the braking system in there,” Culbertson said.
Culbertson said the fact that the elevator fell in increments is positive because it means the emergency settings are working. If the brake sensors were off, the elevator would’ve jolted and it would have felt like a harsher drop, he said.
Moving forward
KONE manages all elevators on campus. Culbertson said they are sending the parts needed to repair the elevator, but there is no timeline available for elevator repairs.
“It’s a matter of KONE getting back with us and telling us what’s going on,” he said. “All that we’ve heard is that our part is on order with no timeframe on it, unfortunately.”
For the time being, the emergency doors are closed and there is an “out of order” sign on the door on each of the floors.
Culbertson and Michael Burns, head of housing and residential life, spoke to Nozomi-Krichena after she came out of the elevator.
“She was just shaken up, of course, as anyone would be,” Culbertson said. “I would probably be just as scared. I don’t like heights and I don’t like the feeling of falling.”
Culbertson said he hasn’t received reports of the elevator falling in the past, but he heard about the broken button from students.
“The elevator’s been out of commission because it may not have worked, but it’s never fallen before,” he said.
Reporting issues
Culbertson said students should contact maintenance if there is an issue with housing or elevators and contact police if there is a danger, especially if an elevator is shaking or falling.
Students also can fill out a work order at myschoolbuilding.com or contact maintenance officials in case of an emergency at 405-208-5382.
Nozomi-Krichena said she’s fine, but she doesn’t want to ride an elevator anytime soon.
“I just really want them to fix the elevator,” she said.
Mark Clouse, director of facilities, and Andy Wiley, head electrician, were unavailable Feb. 16 for comment.
By News Editor Zoe Travers
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