Betty Lou Oliver (Jul. 16, 1925 - Nov. 24, 1999) Betty Lou Oliver was the elevator operator for the Empire State Building on July 28th, 1945. She was working on the 80th story that day. When the B-25 hit the building Betty was thrown from her elevator on the 80th floor and was badly burned in the accident though she survived while 14 others did not.
When rescuers got to her they decided to lower her down via another elevator on the 75th floor. What the rescuers did not know is that the cables had already been weakened to the breaking point. Once the elevator doors closed, the cables snapped and she plummeted 75 stories. Later studies concluded that air currents in the narrow shaft most likely slowed the elevators rapid descent, and the spring-like pileup of the severed elevator cables cushioned the impact. Betty survived but again had to be rescued. She had to be cut from the elevator. She was later treated at the hospital for serious injuries. Betty suffered a broken pelvis, back and neck among multiple bruises and scrapes and other minor injuries.
This was and as far as it’s known, the longest elevator drop anyone has ever survived. 75 stories.
She suffered several serious injuries - including a broken neck, back and pelvis.
Miss Oliver with her husband in November 1945 at Bellview Hospital.
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/73541-longest-fall-survived-in-a-lift-elevator
My old brain doesn't remember where I read it but there is a fascinating account of the whole incident. There was a guy on the plane just hitching a ride to another base. One motor shot through the building and landed on the roof of another.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of articles, Wikipedia even has a decent article. This one is from a B-25 history site. https://b-25history.org/history/ny.htm
DeleteOne motor shot through the building and landed on the roof of another.
ReplyDeleteThose radial engines musta been tougher than the ones that disappeared on Impact at the Pentagon
Ooooh, I see what you did there.
DeleteGreat moments in EMS. Guy comes home from long day at work goes upstairs to change and converse with nature. Wife had previously got freshened up and broke a can of hair spray so let the can spray out in toilet. Husband finishes his business and drops cigarette in bowl before getting up. Resulting flashover propels victim off seat and slams him into sink and cabinet causing concussion and bleeding. He then falls back and breaks tank on bowl. EMS is confronted with unconscious victim with head wound and flash burns on privates. The crew found all this along with the fountain of water breathtakingly hilarious while packaging the patient onto a backboard. Everyone and all the gear you need with an unconscious patient then slipped and crashed to the bottom of the stairs and wound up jammed against the front door. Final toll 2 concussions , multiple head wounds, bottom burns, and a broken leg. Legacy story for years. Somehow there was no lawsuit. We had many more of these as I’m sure all EMS crews do. Good times
ReplyDeleteGreat party story. The lives of EMS and other First Responders are more interesting than almost anyone could guess.
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