A TEENAGER who fell down a lift shaft in school last week has vowed never to set foot in a lift again after her harrowing ordeal.
Speaking for the first time since the accident, Morgan Seaton, 15, from Cameron Toll in Edniburgh, said she will be sticking to the stairs from now on after falling 20ft down a lift shaft at her school last week.
But the lucky school girl was saved from serious injuries because she was wearing a pair of sturdy wellies which cushioned her fall.
The accident left the teenager with four broken vertebrae and an injured neck- but doctors said her pink Hunter wellies saved her from more serious injuries.
They said she was “very, very lucky” that she was wearing the £79.00 sturdy boots as they may have saved her ankles from becoming shattered.
Today, Morgan said she was relieved to be back home after the terrifying fall.
She said she remembers little of the accident and believes she was thrown into a state of shock when she fell.
“I was with two friends when the lift broke down- it breaks down all the time. As we got to the first floor it jumped up a bit and broke down.
“Five minutes later one of the teachers shouted that it would be fine, then the doors were opened. They asked if we wanted to jump and we were so worried we said that we did.
“I went on to my front and lowered myself down, but my feet went through the gap (between the school floor and the lift). I can’t really remember going down, but my head smacked against the wall and I was screaming, saying I couldn’t breathe as I was in so much shock.
“The deputy headteacher climbed down the ladder and was really good with me, staying until the ambulance and fire service arrived to rescue me.”
She added: “I remember looking up and seeing the gap and thinking ‘How did I get through there?’ My friends were still in the lift and they were screaming and crying.
“My friend said she saw my face as I was going down and she thought I’d be dead. She’s had a bit of a nightmare. She’s suffered a lot because of what she saw.
Firefighters and a specialist line rescue crew were called to the scene on Thursday after the incident happened at 9.45am.
They used a spinal board to lift Morgan out of the gap, before she was rushed to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
The teenager said she was always terrified of lifts and has vowed to never step foot in one again.
She said: “When I was younger I remember getting stuck in a lift. I’ve never liked getting in them, but I had to because I had a bad hamstring.
“Now this has happened,I’ll never be in one again. I’m just so glad I wasn’t wearing heels, the doctors said my ankles would have shattered.
“I feel OK now, I can walk about and am gradually getting better but my movement is limited. I’m taking medication and I’ll go for an X-ray in six weeks then start physio.
“My hamstring is surprisingly OK. It wasn’t OK before I got in the lift, but it’s amazingly OK now.
“I’m not sure when I’ll be going back to school but I’m going to get some work to do for the time being. I’d have to work downstairs if I went back now as I wouldn’t get back in a lift.”
