I got a call to come to a job and " check it out when you get here".
18 floors, front openings at every floor , rear opening at the bottom, top and about 4th landing. 500 FPM traction freight/ pass in a five car group.
A carpenter had 40 or so 16 foot 1x2 and 1x4 solid oak trim boards to deliver up to one of the upper floors, so they stuck them through the opened escape hatch, leaning them against the back facia above the car, in the hoistway. After they get it loaded down, one of them gets in, turns the car off hand and procedes to run up. My best guess was he failed to remember where the hand switch was when the noise started. The car ran up all the way to the floor where the next rear door was before the pile of wood caught the header and door track and pushed it mostly out the block wall and thankfully opened the interlock circuit. The facia above the landing was a mess. The car was racked pretty good and the upper part of the cab on the back did not look good either.
There was no blood in the car but there were splinters.
I did not get to see the passenger, but I was told he was okay and was taken by emergency persons to be checked out. I think he probably needed a change of clothing and a valium.
