Graham and Maria Crocker and their son Arthur were stuck in the elevator at Manchester Royal Infirmary
Three-year-old Arthur had just come out of surgery when he and his parents got stuck in a lift(Image: Submitted)
A family with a young son were rescued by firefighters after getting trapped in a hospital car park lift.
Graham and Maria Crocker and their three-year-old boy Arthur spent 45 minutes stuck in the elevator on the ground floor at Hathersage Road multi-storey car park at Manchester Royal Infirmary. It came after the toddler had undergone at operation at the MRI on Monday afternoon to have his tonsils and adonoids removed.
Mr Crocker said: “We got in the lift and pressed the button but nothing was happening. As we decided to get out the doors started closing, I put my arm out but it kept on closing.”
Mr Crocker said he called the alarm ‘three or four times’ and spoke to an operator who repeatedly told him help was on the way. But when, after around 30 minutes, an engineer hadn’t arrived Mr Crocker, a software developer from Newton Heath, called 999.
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He said: “I got really concerned that there wasn’t enough oxygen to breathe. Post-operation my son had been kept back for about 30 minutes in the recovery room because his oxygens levels weren’t stable.
“They just kept saying ‘Don’t worry, someone is coming’, but no-one showed up.
Graham and Maria Crocker and their three-year-old boy Arthur spent 45 minutes stuck in the lift(Image: Submitted)
“I think if it had just been adults in the lift, it would have been OK, but I think it’s a bit disgusting to leave a three-year-old stuck in there who had just had an operation.
“Arthur was scared, but he handled it pretty well. He was really brave.”
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A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engines from Moss Side fire station attended the car park at 6.06pm and rescued two adults and a child from a lift.
Firefighters were at the scene for around 10 minutes.
Arthur had been to the MRI for an operation
A spokesperson from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are sorry to hear that a patient and their family were temporarily stuck inside one of the car park lifts at our Oxford Road Campus.“The lift systems are managed by an external company, Otis, and we are liaising with them to find out more about the incident. We thank Mr Crocker and his family for their patience and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service for getting them out so quickly.”