LAS VEGAS (AP) — Three people suffered minor injuries when an elevator descended rapidly and made a "hard landing" in Fitzgeralds casino-hotel in downtown Las Vegas on Sunday afternoon, a hotel spokeswoman said.
Nine people, one cart full of luggage and a bell man were in the elevator when it fell rapidly, but emergency brakes kept it from hitting the bottom of the elevator shaft, said vice president of marketing Teresa Malm.
"It was a hard landing but all the individuals exited the elevator of their own volition," Malm said.
The elevator may have been overloaded when the accident happened around 2 p.m., said Las Vegas Fire and Rescue deputy chief Mike Myers.
Two adults and one child suffered minor orthopedic injuries and they were taken to a hospital to be treated, he said.
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The injured suffered from a hurt back, elbow and knee, Malm said.
"Thank God all our guests are being tended to," she said.
Video showed the elevator packed when it began heading down from the 26th floor, she said. It stopped three times for people trying to get on, but since it was full, it continued downward. It was unclear from what floor the elevator made its final rapid descent, Malm said.
Video footage showed "their knees kind of bend when they hit bottom," Malm said. "It was not violent."
Cables carrying the elevator car did not snap, she said.
