An elevator accident occurring over the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend injured Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation Director Floyd Batiste, and will likely keep him away from the office for three to four months.

From his Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital room Tuesday, Batiste said he would be recovering from two broken feet and torn ligaments.

According to Batiste, he was hurt Saturday when an elevator at his home malfunctioned, dropping him to the ground floor from the second story residence.

Batiste said he had cooked the Thanksgiving meal the day before — a baked turkey, smoked turkey, fried turkey, and a roast with all the trimmings — and had rested all day Friday in his upstairs bedroom.

“On Saturday morning I decided to go downstairs and get me a piece of sweet potato pie before it was all gone,” Batiste said. “On the way back up I had the potato pie and a glass of milk in my hand, when the elevator dropped me. With my weight and the speed the elevator was traveling, it is a straight shot. The cable broke, and down I went.”

Batiste said doctors are waiting until the swelling goes down — hopefully in three to four days — before performing surgery.

After surgery, Batiste said, he expects rehabilitation will take three or four months.

In the meantime, he plans on working from home. Since the accident, he has worked from his hospital bed.

“The phone has not stopped ringing,” Batiste said.

While his injuries are severe enough, Batiste said they could have been much worse.

“I did not lose my back, did not lose my hip. I could have had a lot more problems,” Batiste said.

E-mail: sherry.koonce@panews.com

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