Will You Get Billed If You Get Stuck in an Elevator?

I don't know about you, but getting stuck in an elevator is one of my biggest fears.

According to the American National Standard Institute website, the odds of getting stuck in an elevator are estimated to be 1 in 100,000 elevator rides.

As we all know, anything can happen. And that's exactly what happened to one Hudson Valley resident earlier this week.

Billed for Getting Stuck in an Elevator?

A local Hudson Valley woman took an elevator in a building in the City of Kingston earlier this week, when it came to a screeching halt.

The woman pushed the emergency button inside the elevator in hopes of someone coming to her rescue. However, after an hour of no one showing up she had to call 911.

3 hours later, the woman tells us she " had to be extricated out of it" by firefighters.

Getting in stuck in an elevator is an awful experience in itself, but are you then billed for having to be rescued? Sounds like a random question, but the woman who was stuck tells us she received a bill for $250 to be extricated out of the elevator from the City of Kingston.

What is that fee for?  Does this fee work like a fee for using an ambulance?

We spoke to a local firefighter and a local elevator mechanic who told us that they have never heard of such a charge.

New York State Elevator Laws

After doing some research, there doesn't seem to be a law about paying a bill or fine for getting rescued out of an elevator.

And really, there don't seem to be many Elevator laws on the books. Mostly the rules and laws are in regard to elevator code, inspections and reports or accidents being turned into the Department of Buildings.

READ MORE: Is It Illegal to Have a Conversation While in a NY Elevator?

We reached out to the City of Kingston for more answers and will update this story when we have more answers.