The Los Angeles Chargers faced an unexpected hurdle when several players and staff members found themselves stuck in an “inoperable elevator” at their hotel in Dallas on Friday. The incident occurred around 7:30 pm CT, just a day before their preseason game against the Cowboys.
According to a team statement, Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to the incident and assisted everyone in escaping the elevator, one by one, through its ceiling panel and into an adjacent elevator. The Chargers expressed their gratitude to the rescue team for their prompt response and professionalism.
Local television network WFAA reported that crews responded to reports of an elevator emergency at The Westin Hotel in downtown Dallas. An elevator technician initially attempted to get the elevator working, but when that failed, the DFR deployed its Urban Search and Rescue team to the scene.
LA Chargers players and staff were left stranded in an ‘inoperable elevator’ in Dallas on Friday
The elevator was stuck in a “blind shaft” between the third and 15th floors of the hotel, requiring players and staff to climb through ceiling panels to escape. The Chargers did not confirm which specific members of the team were involved in the incident.
The team is set to play the Cowboys in their preseason finale at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium on Saturday, before kicking off the NFL regular season against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on September 8.
Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers’ new head coach, is gearing up for his first campaign in the NFL since 2014. Harbaugh previously spent four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and has made a strong impression on his players just a few months into his reign in LA.
Ahead of their preseason game against the Cowboys on Saturday, several members of the traveling Chargers party were trapped in an elevator at the Westin Hotel (pictured)
Earlier this week, safety Derwin James Jr. praised Harbaugh, saying: “He’d really die on the football field and be happy. As crazy as that sounds, he’s that much in it.”
James continued: “Every day you see it in his habits. Every message is the same from every coach [on the staff]. It’s been amazing having him, and I’m pretty sure the more he coaches us, the more I’m going to learn and experience.”
