Jim Harbaugh describes the incident in the elevator of a Dallas hotel and says the Chargers “dodged a bullet”

There’s no denying that Friday night was a long one for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Less than 24 hours before their preseason game against the Cowboys, several members of the team's traveling party had to crawl through a ceiling panel to escape a stuck hotel elevator. Head coach Jim Harbaugh used the phrases “dodged a bullet” and “shared experience” when describing how he felt about the incident in downtown Dallas.

According to Harbaugh, starting quarterback Justin Herbert was among those stuck in the elevator.

“It was a shared experience. 11 or 12 of our players were there for about two hours. It's a shared experience that brought them closer together,” Harbaugh said Saturday. “I just missed being in that elevator. It's like, 'I wish I could have been there with those guys.' But Justin Herbert was there.”

Harbaugh added that Herbert was key in keeping everyone calm as the situation unfolded. Jeri Fouts, wife of Pro Football Hall of Fame member Dan Fouts, was also in the elevator and told the coach how composed Herbert and his teammates were.

“When you get into situations like that, it's a test of will, you know?” Harbaugh said. “I was proud of each of the men and the two women who were in that elevator. It's a victory. It makes you feel good.”

The incident occurred at the Westin, where the Chargers are staying during the game against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Firefighters were dispatched at about 7:45 p.m., around the time a 911 call came in about an emergency that left 15 people trapped in an elevator at the hotel, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said in a statement.

Attempts by an elevator technician to get the elevator running again were unsuccessful, so the city's fire department search and rescue team had to be called, Evans said.

After the situation was resolved Friday night, ESPN's Kris Rhim reported that Harbaugh invited Dallas Fire-Rescue employees to a dinner together. Harbaugh called the department members some of the “bravest” in Dallas.

“They were incredible. [I’m] just proud, proud of the firemen and women. Proud of our guys, Jeri and the other girl, I didn't catch her name. She wasn't associated with the team,” Harbaugh said. “They all have to feel good, this challenge came their way and they met it. They met it.”

“Without the Dallas Fire Department, it could have been a lot worse. It would have taken a lot more hours, who knows how it would have turned out. The guys were great. A couple of former football players were there, it was fun to talk to them.”

The elevator car was stuck in a “blind shaft” between the 3rd and 15th floors. Evans said the search and rescue team used a working car to get the passengers out of the trap. Everyone was rescued from the elevator around 10:30 p.m., he said.

Staff writer Aria Jones and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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