PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Several men were injured after they crashed through elevator doors and fell seven stories down an empty shaft at a mid-rise apartment building in King of Prussia.
Just before 10 p.m. on Monday at the complex, called 251 Dekalb, Upper Merion police said three men were fighting on the eighth floor when they somehow crashed through the doors into the empty elevator shaft.
Two men fell through the roof of the elevator car, which was on the first floor, according to police. The other man remained on the eighth floor.
Emergency officials said one person was airlifted to a local hospital with serious injuries. The other two were transported by ambulance. The extent of their injuries is unknown.
All three men are in their early 20s.
It was initially believed that the elevator malfunctioned, plummeting passengers and trapping them inside. Upon further investigation, Upper Merion police said the elevator wasn’t actually the problem.
One witness who lives in the building told NBC10 that the elevator had not been working properly for some time. He said some of the victims were bleeding and one possibly had a broken leg when they were carried away by first responders.
The apartment building is located on West DeKalb Pike, just off of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
An investigation is underway.