SAN ANTONIO ---The company responsible for maintaining the elevators at the Tower of the Americas issued a formal apology Friday, a day after 16 people were trapped inside of one of its elevators for two and a half hours.
We regret the inconvenience caused to the individuals involved. We strive to free entrapped passengers as quickly as possible everywhere, every time, and will work with the Tower of the Americas to ensure acceptable response to future nighttime events, read a statement from the Otis Elevator Company.
Tower of the Americas General Manager Carlton Quick slammed the company Friday night for failing to respond to emergency calls for help.
One of the tower's three elevators became stuck a few feet from the top at around 8 p.m. Thursday.
Workers inside the tower called Otis' maintenance staff minutes later, but were then forced to call the San Antonio Fire Department around 9 p.m. after Otis workers never showed up.
Firefighters used ladders to pull the 16 passengers through the top of the car, finishing the rescue effort around 10:20 p.m.
Workers from Otis did not arrive until after 11 p.m.
When contacted for comment Friday afternoon, a company spokesman declined to offer an explanation for the delay in arriving Thursday night.
In December 2012, an elevator at the tower became stuck about 400 feet above the ground.
That incident revealed the three elevators did not have current inspections on record with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
A spokeswoman from TDLR confirmed the elevators have had current certificates of operation ever since.
