Pregnant Woman, Tourists Stuck In Old Hancock Center's Elevator

CHICAGO — Firefighters rescued six tourists— including a pregnant woman and a person with a history of panic attacks — trapped inside an express elevator in the former John Hancock Center on Friday. The elevator became stuck near the 11th floor after at least two of the car's cables broke as it descended from the 95th-floor Signature Room bar.

The incident happened at about 12:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 16, when an elevator in the skyscraper, 875 N. Michigan Ave., stopped running, according to the Chicago Tribune. Because the car was in a "blind shaft" that rescuers couldn't access, firefighters needed to knock down a brick wall in order to get to the people inside elevator, the report added.

Each person then was pulled through the opening, the report stated. That included a pregnant woman and a person suffering from anxiety issues, the report added. Despite that, no one was hurt in the incident, and everyone was out of the elevator by just before 3 a.m.

“They were very gracious,” Battalion Chief Patrick Maloney told the Tribune. “They were from out of town, visiting this great city.”

More via the Chicago Tribune

The high-rise formerly known as the John Hancock Center (Photo by Paul Brown | Shutterstock)