Residents with disabilities stuck in apartment units for three days after elevator breaks down

elevator closed
Photo credit Getty Images

The Dewitt County Housing Authority in Central Illinois said it's not responsible for an elevator breakdown on Saturday that left residents with disabilities of an apartment building stuck in their units for three days.

Caleb Zook, who just turned 19, spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and his birthday stuck in his fifth floor apartment at Sheldon Nixon Manor. He uses a wheelchair.

"I had to sit up there all weekend in excruciating, agonizing pain in my leg, and they just didn't care," Zook said.

He had frostbite on a finger and a burn on a leg. He told CBS 3 in Champagne he wanted to go to the hospital. He said building maintenance told him it wasn't their problem. He said another man who needs a cane to walk couldn't get out either.

"He was stuck, but, I mean, at least he had family that was able to get up the stairs. I got 80-year-old grandparents. I didn't want them coming up," Zook explaned.

Zook's mother, Jennifer Gharrett, said, "It's just not right for handicapped people to be trapped inside a building for three days."

The Dewitt County Housing Authority said a repair company was called on Christmas Eve. It was at their mercy. The authority said it understands the residents' frustration.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images