CHARLESTON, WV – The Governor’s Office this evening confirmed reports that Gov. Jim Justice was temporarily trapped in the elevator at the Governor’s Mansion earlier today. An elevator malfunction occurred at around 1:30 p.m., and the Governor was trapped for approximately 30 minutes while Mansion staff, the West Virginia State Police, and General Services personnel worked to open the elevator. Rescuers used a crowbar and other tools to breach the inoperative elevator doors.
The Governor’s Office also confirmed that First Lady Cathy Justice recently was briefly trapped in the elevator in a separate incident.
“I appreciate those who helped out this afternoon and the expressions of concern I’ve received,” Gov. Justice said. “I’m just fine, thankfully, and so is Cathy after having a similar problem a few weeks ago. I’ve asked maintenance and safety personnel to thoroughly inspect the elevator to determine how to prevent this from happening again, and to conduct a full review of the safety and soundness of the entire structure.”
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