Woman Reunites with Fla. Firefighters Who Carried Her and Wheelchair 13 Flights After Elevator Broke
Haleigh Rosa shared video of her rescue on TikTok, which has gotten over 10.6 million views and counting
A woman who is paraplegic has reunited with a group of Florida firefighters who came to her rescue this week after she got stuck on the 31st floor of a Fort Lauderdale high-rise.
Haleigh Rosa found herself trapped on Sunday after floodwaters shut down the elevators on the side of the building where she lives, according to ABC affiliate WPLG.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Captain Michael Bloomberg said a water leak “destroyed several floors” and “flooded one of the elevator shafts,” making it inoperable, FOX affiliate WSVN reported.
But there were only two ways to get downstairs via elevator, by going up to the 44th floor or down to the 8th floor, in order to cross over and use a functional elevator to exit the building, according to a video Rosa posted on her TikTok page.
So the building called Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue for help getting Rosa to another elevator bank, leaving firefighters with the task of carrying her and her stuff up 13 flights of stairs, per WSVN.
“She was on floor 31 but the only working elevators only took us to floor 44,” said Bloomberg, per WSVN. “We had a choice of going up 13 floors or going down 21 [floors] so we decided to go up 13 floors.”
Rosa shared a video of the rescue on TikTok, in which she wrote, “POV: You’re paralyzed and stuck on Floor 31 so the fire department rescues you.” The clip has been viewed more than 10.6 million times on the social media platform.
“Two years ago, I didn’t know what a TikTok was, could have been a Tic Tac for all I know,” Bloomberg told WPLG in reaction to the overwhelming response on social media.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
On Wednesday, Rosa swung by the Fort Lauderdale fire station and reunited with the men who rescued her. She came equipped with sweet treats from Fireman Derek’s Bake Shop (a south Florida bakery) and shared lunch with the crew.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better trio to show up and save the day,” she said, per WPLG.
Firefighters Johnny Jones and Chance Davis were the two who took turns carrying Rosa up the stairs. The group had just finished a workout when they were called to help Rosa.
“I told her, ‘Sorry, I probably smell because straight after the workout, I started cooking dinner, and the call came in,’” Davis, who has been with FLFR for two years, told WPLG.
Related: Man, 25, Rescued After Spending 24 Hours Floating on Partially Submerged Boat in the Ocean
On Facebook, FLFR said it “is extremely proud of its men and women who go above and beyond every day,” including in situations like Rosa’s.
“This story is just another example of what makes Fort Lauderdale Firefighters who they are,” the department added.
In the meantime, Rosa hopes her situation will help raise awareness around the issue of “accessibility in buildings” and the need for people like her to have “better options,” according to WSVN.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
