Two contractors working inside the Masonic Building fell about 15 feet down a service elevator shaft they opened Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters rescued the men from the elevator pit and they were transported from the scene by ambulance.
Shawnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Jim VanAntwerp said the men were tearing out carpet as part of a remodeling project for an office space at the building, 23 E. Ninth.
There’s two elevators in the building — one for the public and a service elevator. The workers had a key to the service elevator, VanAntwerp said.
“They stepped in but the elevator was above them” VanAntwerp said. Both workers fell to the bottom of the elevator shaft, which was about a story and a half below.
VanAntwerp said the way the elevator works, the men would have had to physically open the elevator doors to gain access; he said operator error could have been a factor.
Shawnee firefighters responded and gained access to the injured men through the basement area of the building. When fire crews opened the elevator’s sliding doors, VanAntwerp said both men were in the pit about five feet below basement level. Firefighters found the elevator key there as well.
One of the men, believed to be in his 30s, suffered a severe arm laceration when his arm hit metal during the fall, VanAntwerp said. When first responders arrived, that man was using his belt as a tourniquet.
The other man, believed to be in his early 50s, was knocked unconscious for about five minutes, VanAntwerp said, and also suffered a laceration on his head. Both also had scrapes and possible other injuries.
The men, whose names were not known because of health privacy laws, were placed on backboards and carried out by firefighters in Stokes baskets, which are used in rescue operations.
They were transported by REACT EMS ambulances to Unity Health Center for treatment. The patient with the arm laceration was transferred by helicopter ambulance to an Oklahoma City hospital.
How both men fell down the shaft is being probed. Warren Thomas, owner of the Masonic Building, said the incident is under investigation by Masonic Building officials as well as the state to ascertain what happened. He said a Department of Labor elevator inspector was called to the scene Wednesday afternoon. The elevators inside the building are routinely checked and maintained by an elevator company, he said, and there had been an inspection just last week.
“We make every attempt to keep our building safe for tenants and any contractors,” Thomas said, adding they will work to find out more about what happened.
Thomas said he didn’t know the identities of the private contractors. Without knowing their names, the News-Star couldn’t obtain further patient condition reports Wednesday night.
————
Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
