By Margaret Maccoll
Noosa’s Queensland Fire and Emergency officers were called to the Sofitel Noosa Pacific Resort in Hastings Street about 8pm Sunday night after a lift carrying a male staff member “let go“ dropping a six floors to the basement and refusing to open.
Noosa station officer John Lewis said the emergency brakes kicked in to stop the lift before it hit the bottom.
“It’s not like Diehard,“ he said.
“The emergency brakes activated but you don’t know when it’s going to be stopped.“
The firefighters prised the lift door open in order to speak to the man and provide fresh air.
Officer Lewis said the man was calm and lucid but had there been an emergency they would have used the spreaders to wrench open the doors.
The staff member was trapped inside for about 45 minutes until a technician arrived and used his emergency key to open the door.
Officer Lewis said care was taken in case the man had suffered spinal injuries. He was moved onto a waiting Queensland Ambulance Service stretcher and taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital as a precautionary measure.
A hotel spokesperson said on Monday the team member had been released from hospital.
“The safety of our guests and employees is paramount and the lift in question is currently out of service,“ the spokesperson said.
