NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Auckland woman trapped in lift at storage unit for 14 hours wants answers

NZ Herald
8 Nov, 2016 06:20 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The incident occurred at Guardian Self Storage in Silverdale. Photo / Doug Sherring

The incident occurred at Guardian Self Storage in Silverdale. Photo / Doug Sherring

A woman who spent a traumatic 14 hours trapped inside an elevator has launched a lawsuit to get answers.

Caroline Campbell, 56, has instructed a lawyer alleging negligence against the storage company and the lift maintenance engineer, Fairfax reported.

Campbell became trapped in an elevator at Guardian Self Storage on February 12 after she went to drop off items at her unit. She whiled away the hours by "drawing pictures and writing poems" to keep herself calm but has since suffered from anxiety, claustrophobia and lack of sleep.

She was freed by emergency services around 8am after they were alerted by a passer-by who heard her yelling for help.

Her sister Sarah spoke to the Herald about the traumatic experience at the time and said Campbell was "just so relieved to be back home".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It was traumatic being in there but she just kept herself positive by drawing pictures and writing poems on the boxes that she had with her in the lift," she said.

"She knew that at some stage help would come so she just had to keep herself positive by doing things.

"She just kept deep breathing to stop herself from panicking."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

After she realised she was stuck Campbell proceeded to push the emergency buzzer in the elevator, but no help came, said Sarah.

A light and a fan were going in the lift as were alarm bells, she said.

"She had a MacGyver moment where she put packing tape in her ears to try and block out the sound."

Sarah said that Campbell heard a car pulling up to the building the next day and began calling for help.

"What she realised was at around 6am people would start coming to use their units so she kept an ear out, periodically shouting from 6am onwards.

"When the ambulance and fire people got there she was pretty distressed because somebody had finally turned up and there was nothing to eat or drink in there."

Campbell's lawyer Keith Young sent a legal letter to lawyers for the storage company and the lift maintenance engineer alleging negligence in August. But the engineer's lawyers deny any negligence and said he was not responsible for installation, workmanship or components. A civil claim has not yet been filed in court.

Months after the incident Campbell is still suffering from the traumatic effects of being stuck in the lift. Now she wants answers she told Fairfax.

"Fourteen hours in a lift is nothing compared to how your brain processes it afterwards. It's taken months for me to get rid of some of that anxiety. I don't want to over-dramatise it, it's not post-traumatic stress disorder. I am a reasonably calm and collected person but I have been seeing a psychologist.

"When you feel you haven't been taken seriously it's a bit frustrating. Every time I go into a building I have to know how I get out.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The first week they [Guardian] were great. They gave me a fantastic big hamper and a bouquet of flowers. They reimbursed me. I wasn't able to work, I had to take some time off. That was just for the first two weeks.

"It's sort of a bit like pass the buck. Nobody has taken responsibility.

"Everybody is saying they did what they were legally obliged to do but I think it's somebody's responsibility if you get trapped for 14 hours. The lift broke. The alarm broke, which meant the security company weren't notified.

"There might be somebody there at two in the morning, so make sure their well-being is safeguarded. They are very sorry, of course.

"There's just no accountability. It just doesn't seem right. It seems unfair. I'd just like to be taken seriously and have my voice heard and for them to take some action."

Campbell's family had alerted emergency services when she did not arrive home and got the "ball rolling" with police to try and find her.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Then the storage unit company rang me first thing in the morning and let me know she had been found in the lift."

Sarah said it had been a lesson to the whole family to always take their cellphones with them wherever they go.

Guardian Self Storage general manager Terry King said at the time the company was shocked at Campbell's ordeal, which happened at its branch on the corner of Foundry and Anvil roads in Silverdale.

"For this to happen, it is as shocking for us as it is for her," he said.

"The lift basically just stopped. We own five facilities and four have got lifts in them and what would usually happen is that there is an alarm system and you push a button if the lift stops. It goes through to a security company and the security company come and obviously override the system and get you out.

"In this case for some reason the alarm hasn't gone through to the security company so no one has actually known that [the woman] was in the lift until someone found her."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Sarah said her sister was just happy to have been freed.

"She is very relieved to be out of there that is for sure.

"I think it may be a while before Caroline will go into another elevator."

She said the storage company had told her they would be conducting a full inquiry into what happened.

The sisters have now been given a storage unit on the ground floor so they would not have to use the elevator again.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Rain, wind and snow': North Island in for day of wild weather

Politics

'It’s inevitable': David Letele teases move into politics

New Zealand

'Lunacy': Farmers fight cuts to Taranaki agriculture courses


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Rain, wind and snow': North Island in for day of wild weather
New Zealand

'Rain, wind and snow': North Island in for day of wild weather

Up to 30mm of rain fell in Auckland this morning, with gusts of 70km/h on harbour bridge.

16 Jul 10:52 PM
'It’s inevitable': David Letele teases move into politics
Politics

'It’s inevitable': David Letele teases move into politics

16 Jul 10:30 PM
'Lunacy': Farmers fight cuts to Taranaki agriculture courses
New Zealand

'Lunacy': Farmers fight cuts to Taranaki agriculture courses

16 Jul 10:23 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP