This totally freaked me out. I can't even imagine being the woman in the elevator. Not for the faint of heart. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/2052104 Doctor decapitated by elevator doors at Houston hospital By PEGGY O'HARE Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle A doctor was killed today at Christus St. Joseph Hospital when an elevator malfunctioned, decapitating him, authorities said. Hitoshi Nikaidoh, 35, of Dallas, a surgical resident at the hospital at 1919 La Branch, was stepping onto a second-floor elevator in the main building around 9:30 a.m. when the doors closed, pinning his shoulders, said Harold Jordan, an investigator with the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office. The elevator car then moved upward, severing the doctor's head, Jordan said. A woman who also works at the hospital was on the elevator at the time and witnessed the accident, police said. Because of the malfunction, she was trapped on the elevator for 15 or 20 minutes before firefighters were able to reach her, police said. The woman was not injured, but was later taken to the emergency room because she was in shock, said Sgt. Kenneth Perkins of the Houston Police Department's Special Operations Division. Nikaidoh was on duty at the time and wearing his doctor coat and surgical scrubs when the accident happened, Jordan said. The scene was one of chaos when police and firefighters first arrived at the hospital, Perkins said. Medical personnel were in disbelief, some crying. "They were trying to console one another. Just to see other people in disarray -- the looks on their faces pretty much told the whole story," he said. Police have launched an investigation into the accident. St. Joseph Hospital officials have taken the entire elevator bank out of service, but normal patient services have not been interrupted. Hospital officials would not answer any questions Saturday about the accident since the investigation has just begun. They also would not reveal the name of the elevator manufacturer. One worker at the hospital said there had been problems in the past with these particular elevators and that maintenance crews had been trying to service them in the past week, Perkins said. Nikaidoh was a member of the 2003 class of the University of Texas-Houston Medical School, where he previously served as Student InterCouncil President. He also was an avid runner, participating in marathons and triathlons. Hospital spokeswoman India Chumney Hancock would not discuss Nikaidoh's background or how long he had been with the hospital. "In respect for the family, we're not giving out any information," she said Saturday. "Since the investigation has just begun, we're not answering any questions at this time," she said.
I couldn't even imagine having to witness that. Not suprising to see her go into shock. Usually elevator doors are pretty easy to keep from closing. I thought they were pressure sensitive or something like that.
The article does indeed make for some interesting reading. In the building I work at which is 26 stories (what passes for a high rise in downtown Austin, TX.), I'm always talking to the Otis Elevator techs to just pass time when they're in the area. They've explained to my limited intellect the mechanics of elevators, safety records, etc. - basically how and why things work. The guys even let me ride above, on top of a cab to get a better picture of things. They've always been quite adamant that no one has died in this country from any indoor elevator accident, ever. That is, until now.
From what little I've seen, the elevator cabs in the building I work at have one of two safety features to prevent this type of accident. The first is electronic part called a lambda; I believe it's situated on the safety guard inbetween the inner and outer door. It's more or less functions as an electronic eye of sorts that is supposed to create a zone, which if broken, serves to reopen both sets of doors. Although from what I've seen, dust can defeat this device. Secondly, a few of the elevator cabs are set so that if the doors bump anything before they fully close, they're supposed to completely reopen. Although, this feature has been known to not respond correctly because of carbon buildup in the contacts and or relays. Just f.y.i.
i have always feared riding in an elevator. I'll be taking the stairs for awhile now. lately i've been a pretty selfserving guy but what little compassion and prayerful like thought i can muster up will go out to that lady and his family.
whoa, i just watched Final Destination 2 a few days ago, and the exact same thing happened to a lady in the movie...
I guess I should also mention that all the Otis Elevator techs I've ever met have been well trained professionals. They all have a route with a certain amount of sites to service. These guys are always around performing preventative maintenance at the very least; the elevator cabs are inspected annually by the state. In saying that, this elevator accident where the decapitation occurred, was in a hospital. You have to know a place like that should be running a pretty tight ship...
I'm pretty sure this is at least the second case of decapitation by elevator I've read about in the US. Weird thing is, in that other case, there was a woman stuck in the elevator with the body for a while, too.
There may well have been, but was it an indoors accident? The Otis techs tell me that their company won't even consider servicing any outdoor elevators (like at construction sites) because they're too dangerous. Gruesome subject, eh? Wasn't there a case in the Bank of America building in downtown Houston where a woman drowned in one of the garage elevators? It was the year where Houston suffered a deluge of rain in such a short period of time causing massive amounts of flooding all over the city. From what I recall, she was in the underground parking garage when a flash flood came through. Trying to escape the water, she ran into a waiting elevator cab where upon the rising water shorted the system allowing for no means of escape. I remember reading about it in the Houston Chronicle.
I wonder if the body or the head was left in the elevator with the woman? Either way, very distrurbing story. I know I would have been freaking out.
the lady has a major case for her trauma, having witnessed the accident and having been trapped with the head for 15 minutes. the head likely retained some consciousness, too, for a few seconds. she's gonna have post trauma distress syndrome. man, I've stuck my hand in an elevator to stop it for the last time.
I've heard that a head can retain conscousness for like up to ten minutes, but that is probably way off....since it was a history teacher, that said he was kinda "taking a stab" at it.
The Straight Dope Column (Cecil Adams) ran a piece about whether a severed head could retain consciousness. It's hard to know for sure; they believe it might for a few seconds. (Certainly not 10 minutes.) Either way, not a pleasant way to go. This is a horrible story. Makes you think twice about how you get into elevators.
This is the most shocking incident I have ever read. Not just due to the fact of what happened. But because a lady unexpectedly witnessed something she never wanted to see, and also because the doctor himself never expected something like this to come right up and get him. This is the saddest part. This will definitely remind me to get in an elevator at a faster pace.
