What are some of the things that might happen to you if you go in a lift?
See footnote 1
Get stuck all by yourself
Get stuck in an overcrowded lift ( probably the reason why it got stuck )
Get stuck with a homicidal maniac
All of the above, but between floors
If you are in a glass lift at least someone will notice it has broken down. Unless everyone in the building has already left.
See Footnote 2
What might happen next…
You press the alarm button but it does not work.
The alarm button works, but the company who owns the building are saving money by ending the contract with the lift engineers.
The fire brigade have been called to a major fire and cannot come to your rescue for hours.
See Footnote 3
If you are really unlucky the major fire is in the building you are trapped in

Worse lift disasters
The lift cable snaps and you plunge to the basement, danger of death depends on how many floors there are.
The lift doors open, but when you step in the lift it is not there and you plunge down the lift shaft.
Less likely events
The lift rockets upwards and straight out of the top of the building. The good news, it will come down again unless…
The lift has been the subject of secret space research and changed into a rocket. You will not come down.
Least likely dramatic events
A smooth ride upwards that takes longer than you expect. When the doors open you step out into the future, because someone in the future has turned the lift into a time machine. At least you will get a great welcome and be looked after as they are so excited their experiment has worked.
You step out of the lift into the past. As your twenty storey office block / luxury apartment block has not been built yet you are left in mid air.
These are some of the reasons why I avoid lifts.
Unverified Events
You step out of the lift and find yourself in heaven, having had a massive heart attack brought on by the stress of going in a lift. There you meet someone else who has also just died of a heart attack due to the strain of walking up twenty flights of stairs because he was scared of lifts.
Footnotes
- Elevator
- Never be the last person out of a building
- Always go to the toilet before you go in a lift
Do you prefer stairs or lifts?
Have you had any traumatic lift experiences?

The closest I’ve ever come to a traumatic lift experience was in the paternoster lift in the UEA arts block. It was fun to ride it to the top and come down to the other side. You just looked a bit of an idiot as everyone knew what you had been doing 🤣
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I had never heard of a paternoster lift Clive so had to look it up – I will not be having a go!
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There are very few left here nowadays. Most were taken out in the 70s and 80s on safety grounds. They were fun, though 😊
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This is why I avoid lifts/elevators, as well, Janet! Ha! I definitely prefer the stairs!
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How sensible we are Anita and fit!
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