Ecmweb 8585 Ems
Ecmweb 8585 Ems
Ecmweb 8585 Ems
Ecmweb 8585 Ems
Ecmweb 8585 Ems

Woman Rescued from Fall in Electrical Shaft

Jan. 7, 2016
Rescuers were called to the Upper Lofts at Canal Walk in Shockoe Bottom today.

A woman was stuck in a "V position" inside an electrical shaft for more than an hour Thursday morning in Richmond, Va. Rescuers were called to the Upper Lofts at Canal Walk in Shockoe Bottom today, according to a report from CBS 6.

Firefighters said a woman fell four stories down an electrical access shaft, from the 6th floor to the 2nd floor. She was stuck with her head and feet pointing straight up for more than an hour, firefighters said. Because of her positioning, rescuers had to secure her hands and feet before getting her out of the shaft, CBS 6 reported.

According to a separate TV news report (WWBT), there are doors leading to an electrical shaft on each floor of the building. The doors are supposed to be locked, but investigators say when they arrived, they noticed several were not. Now even management is working to get answers in what led to the fall.

While on an upstairs floor, the woman and a friend she was visiting there came across a closet, which houses an electrical shaft that’s more than 2 feet wide. They got through the door, climbed over a 4-foot fence that prevents access to a gaping hole. That's when one of them fell through the hole, WWBT reported.

Fire crews eventually got her out, and said she was alert and talking. She is in stable, but critical condition.

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