"Stuck for hours": Removal of stairs traps woman in her home
Image: TikTok
A woman was shocked to find the stairs for her apartment complex had been removed without warning, leaving her, and other tenants trapped inside. She shared her story on TikTok, shocking over 1.2 million people over the strange decision that left her “stuck for hours”.
Olivia Crump thought it was just an ordinary morning, opening her door to start her day, however as she peered outside, she realised something was terribly wrong. The stairs were gone.
Olivia lives on the third floor of her apartment building with no way to leave without climbing over the ledge. She grabbed her camera to film the incident, later posting it to TikTok where it went viral.
Olivia said in the video: “When your apartment removes the stairs without warning and you’re stuck for hours.”
She posted it alongside the song ‘hell to the no’ and comments were quickly encouraging Olivia to contact a fire marshall. In an interview with the Daily Dot, the TikToker explained that “it was impossible to get down without climbing over the ledge with a ladder or scaling the side with a decent drop below”.
“My apartment complex didn’t notify any of the residents beforehand (and still hasn’t reached out since this happened),” she said.
Olivia revealed that she and her neighbours were stuck for nearly four hours before a worker granted her permission to go down the unfinished steps.
The TikToker shared that she called her neighbours and they too were unaware the stairs were being removed. Olivia wrote in reply to a comment, “these complexes run by huge housing companies just mess with people’s lives and get away with it because people need places to live”.
Comments were filled with people sharing similar stories and encouraging Olivia to take action.
“Definitely a fire hazard. They should have had everyone leave or made a temporary alternative route,” one user wrote.
“Building Code, Fire and Lease Violations. Hefty, hefty fines,” another said.