Amtrak asks woman if she's stuck in elevator -- 7 months late

Seven months after a woman became trapped in an Amtrak elevator and took to Twitter to ask for help, the rail company responded in a tweet that had some people scratching their heads.

Amanda Carpenter, former communications director for Ted Cruz, tweeted on Feb. 14 that she was stuck in an elevator at Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

"Guys," she wrote to her 90,000 followers, "I'm trapped in an Amtrak elevator at BWI airport. Help?"

On Wednesday, just a week shy of seven months since Carpenter first made her plea, Amtrak responded.

"We are sorry to hear that," the company said in a widely shared response on Twitter. "Are you still in the elevator?"

Thankfully, the answer to that question was "no."

"Oh my, thank you for this but I was trapped months ago," Carpenter responded. "Like last February. Thanks for checking...?"

For it's part, Amtrak said its response came after someone retweeted Carpenter's February message.

"Wanted to make sure," the company wrote. "Glad you're out."

Response to the gaffe was swift and merciless.

For the record, Amtrak did respond to Carpenter's tweet in February, about 20 minutes after she first reported getting stuck. The company apologized to Carpenter on Thursday for the mix-up and offered her a free ride for her trouble.

About the Author