Casie 0 #1 August 18, 2003 This sucks Doctor decapitated when hospital elevator malfunctions------------------------------ His shoulders were pinned in doors before car moved upward. HOUSTON, TEXAS Associated Press Houston - A doctor was killed Saturday when an elevator malfunctioned and decapitated him at Christus St. Joseph Hospital, authorities said. Hitoshi Nikaidoh, 35, of Dallas, was a surgical resident at the downtown hospital. Harold Jordan, an investigator with the Harris County medical examiner's office, said Nikaidoh was stepping onto a second-floor elevator about 9:30 a.m. when the elevator's doors closed and pinned his shoulders. Jordan said the elevator car moved upward and severed the doctor's head. Police said a female hospital worker was on the elevator at the time and witnessed the accident. She was trapped on the elevator for 15 or 20 minutes before firefighters were able to remove her. Houston Police Sgt. Kenneth Perkins said medical personnel at the hospital were in disbelief. "They were trying to console one another, " he said. "The looks on their faces pretty much told the whole story." Police are investigating what caused the accident, and hospital officials have since closed the elevator bank. "All of us at Christus St. Joseph Hospital are deeply, deeply, saddened today by the tragic death of a resident physician," said Mike Sullivan, regional vice president of Christus Health Gulf Coast. "Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to the family, friends, patients and associates of this physician," he added. Perkins said maintenance crews have been working on the elevators during the past week. Nikaidoh graduated in 2003 from the University of Texas Houston Medical School.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blahr 0 #2 August 18, 2003 This happened to a lady in the movie "Final Destination 2" and I was thinking how horrible it was. Now its for real Ack Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #3 August 18, 2003 http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2053346 According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries 1992-1998, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, incidents with elevators and escalators kill about 30 and injure about 17,100 people each year in the United States.~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #4 August 18, 2003 I can see a pretty big lawsuit there. The elevator isn't supposed to be able to move if the doors are ajar. As a matter of fact, that's one ways to stop an elevator mid-floor -- pull the doors apart slightly. AND the doors are supposed to open if something is caught between them. Electric eyes AND touch sensors.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #5 August 18, 2003 Sucks is saying it nicely... particularly for the woman trapped in the elevator with either the head or the body. Needless to say it really sucked for the young doctor. There will be a few law suits over this one, and possibly criminal charges... Being a commercial property manager, I know a little bit about elevators and their safety codes... this type of thing does not happen without someone being grossly negligent... there are multiple safeguards that would have had to fail at the same time... so they were either disabled during maintenance (not allowed by code) and not re-enabled, or they were not properly maintained.All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #6 August 18, 2003 QuoteI can see a pretty big lawsuit there. The elevator isn't supposed to be able to move if the doors are ajar. As a matter of fact, that's one ways to stop an elevator mid-floor -- pull the doors apart slightly. AND the doors are supposed to open if something is caught between them. Electric eyes AND touch sensors. That's exactly what I was thinkin......I smell a big lawsuit!~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #7 August 18, 2003 Wouldn't it be wise when working on an elevator not to let the public use it???? I mean, it does mention in the article maintenance crew was working on it. Wonder what the problems were????~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robskydiv 0 #8 August 18, 2003 This is kind of bizarre. Just today a nurse just managed to squeeze herself though the trapgate before it closed on the way out of the prison today. I told her that the trap gate is stronger than her. Hopefully she won't try that again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #9 August 18, 2003 Elevators are taken out of service when being worked on... apparently, this one had been worked on recently and returned to service, possibly without all the safeties working... the only other possibility that I can think of is that if he were pinned in the "hoistway doors" (the doors on the corridor side vs. the cab doors on the inside of the elevator)... these often do not (and are not required to) have any sensors... this is highly unlikely though, if he was far enough into the hoistway to be decapitated, he should have come in contact with the other safeties. JoshAll that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #10 August 18, 2003 I'm not putting my arms/hands out to stop the doors anymore.....if that button doesn't work then oh well, they'll have to catch the next one!~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #11 August 18, 2003 Quoteputting my arms/hands out to stop the doors That's not really a good idea anyway... if the door is more that a quater of the way closed, let it go and catch the next one... not only is not the safest thing to do, but it is really anoying to the people that were already on the elevator waiting for it to goAll that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #12 August 18, 2003 QuoteQuoteputting my arms/hands out to stop the doors That's not really a good idea anyway... if the door is more that a quater of the way closed, let it go and catch the next one... not only is not the safest thing to do, but it is really anoying to the people that were already on the elevator waiting for it to go I know I know, I was just trying to be curtious, but don't you worry.......it won't happen again. It's been awhile since I had to do that anyways....I come into work way tooo early to have to do that!~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #13 August 18, 2003 Sniffing, sniffing... I smell big money in the air... My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,067 #14 August 18, 2003 >>putting my arms/hands out to stop the doors >That's not really a good idea anyway... Old doctor's joke: A hospital elevator is on the second floor and the doors are closing. Suddenly a man sticks his foot in it from outside, nearly kicking someone in the elevator. The doors open and a general surgery resident gets on. "Geez, what'd you do that for?" said someone in the elevator. "Well, I'm in a hurry, but I'd never stick my hands in the door," he says. "My hands are my life; I'm a surgeon. All my feet do is keep me standing when I'm operating, so I don't care as much if I hurt them." They stop on the third floor. Just as the door is closing, the chief of staff sticks his hand in the door to stop it. The surgeon looks at him oddly. "Well, I used to use my hands a lot when I saw patients," he says. "Now all I ever do is go to meetings. I never use my hands any more, but my feet get me to meetings. So if I'm going to hurt something it might as well be my hands." They stop on the third floor. Just as the doors are closing an orthopedic surgery resident comes running up, and sticks his head in the doors to hold them open. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #15 August 18, 2003 Back in the 1950's, my mom's family went on a tour of one of the car plants up there. The went on one of the freight elevators for part of it. My aunt, who was about 10 at the time, stuck her head out of it to look at something, and her head got caught (I'm not exactly sure on what). As a result, one side of her face has been paralyzed since then, and she lost hearing in one ear. She kind of looks like someone who had a stroke. I don't think they sued though, it was a different time back then.She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,067 #16 August 18, 2003 >these often do not (and are not required to) have any sensors... Every elevator I've ever hacked has had hoistway door sensors. They're usually in the latch above the door. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #17 August 18, 2003 is that a sensor or an interlock? The sensors are usually on the cab door (for preasure sensors) or in between the two sets of doors (in the case of IR sensors)... the interlock prevents the hoistway door from being opened when the cab is not level with the landing and prevents (or should prevent) the elevator from moving if the doors are not closed. Both of these safties would have had to fail in this incident. JoshAll that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #18 August 18, 2003 Sorry to hear about that I had no idea whatsoever the amount of people that get killed/injured in these everyday usable things! I've been stuck inside an elevator for about 10-15 minutes once. Also, had one act up on me & drop 10 flights & took about 20 minutes to finally open the doors~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,067 #19 August 18, 2003 >is that a sensor or an interlock? Both. The latch serves as mechanical interlock but can be defeated easily. There's a switch inside the latch that serves as the door-closed sensor. That means there are 10 hoistway door sensors for a 10 story building. >Both of these safties would have had to fail in this incident. In most elevators if you time it right you can defeat the hoistway mechanical interlock by pulling on the hoistway doors at just the right time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #20 August 18, 2003 Most of these things can be defeated, IF you are TRYING to defeat them... I doubt this guy was trying to defeat anything... A door closed sensor is another safety... that tells the controler that the door is closed and it is ok to move the car... as opposed to a leading edge sensor that cause the doors to retract when something is in its path... my current property has 40 elevators, none of which have this type of sensor on the hoistway doors, they all have the IR type between the two sets. JoshAll that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #21 August 19, 2003 I'm proud to say while going to lunch I had to give a guy a lecture today about putting his hands in the way of the elevator doors to keep them open. Not in a bad way.....just wanted him to know the statistics, etc. I found myself jumping into the elevator now...................how weird is that?????~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DYEVOUT 0 #22 August 19, 2003 http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=617803;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread ----------------=8^)---------------------- "I think that was the wrong tennis court." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cornholio 0 #23 August 19, 2003 I'm surprised this has not been said yet, but how come dude or the nurse inside didn't hit the big red button marked STOP when the car started moving. I mean these things are not the fastest moving objects, so there would have been like 2 seconds before dude got decaptiated, right ? That's enough time to hit that BIG RED BUTTON a few times. I feel sorry for the family, but this sounds like a Darwin award to me. Butthead: Whoa! Burritos for breakfast! Beavis: Yeah! Yeah! Cool! bellyflier on the dz.com hybrid record jump Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Casie 0 #24 August 19, 2003 Maybe she was in shock...............~Porn Kitty WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jdhill 0 #25 August 19, 2003 Not all elevators have big red stop buttons... some elevators go as fast as 1200 fpm... that aint slow... The door open and door close buttons inside elevators are often confused as there is no standardization of which one goes on which side of the controls... and they often only work while the car is in fire service mode. JoshAll that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. - Edmund Burke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
