Dr. Decapitated By Faulty Elevator At St Joseph Hospital

Houston Chronicle ^ | August 17, 2003 | Peggy O'Hare

[demkicker]

Yuck, another freaky decapitation by an elevator! Who would have thunk it?

[WolfsView]

Actually it happened to one of the charcaters in Final Destination 2

[neb52]

Nope Baylor always settles out of court so they don't have to change any policies. They just throw money at the person threatening to sue hoping the problem will go away. Baylor does this so the media doesn't find out and keep a good PR image. It will be hell to pay though when something like this does happen though. All the money in the world wouldn't make this type of bad publicity go away. So far they have been lucky, that all the suitors are looking for money and not caring about policy changes for the people that still work or seek service their, or those that may come afterwards.

I work in the basement and for health reasons take the stairs to avoid our rickety elevators.

[MeekOneGOP]

Man, what a horrible thing ...

[The_Media_never_lie]

Yes, truly horrible. My first thought was that this was in a third world country. But Houston?

[demkicker]

I work in the basement and for health reasons take the stairs to avoid our rickety elevators.

Wow, here's hoping this story will prompt Baylor into providing some overdue maintenance on your elevators! Don't suppose you feel like going public with your complaints? BTW, what is your job (if you don't mind me asking)?

[neb52]

Computer Operator in the Data Center. The elevators aren't that bad, but everybody thinks they have little demons living in them. The elevators are Otis and they did have a company come out and refurbish one elevator this past month. It looks like all they did was put a new door and new button panel on it. Otherwise it still has the same feel to it and the same ugly 70ish interior. The other set of elevators in the hospital part are newer, but they have the interior covered in cardboard, due to construction going on some of the nursing floors.

If things seem to get worse then I would diffinitely file a complaint with the Ethics Committee. I don't think our elevators are quite that bad yet. You know they have the customary moans, groans and slight bouncing that most aging elevators have and puts that little thought in the back of your head of are these things really safe.

[neb52]

She probably thought the doors would bounce back out like their suppose too. I almost got caught in the doors on one of the Metro trains the other week when I was in DC.That scared the crap out of me. Everybody I was with just laughed at me.

[calvin sun]

Different situation, same principle: before I ever get into an elevator, I first make sure that, when the doors open, the car REALLY IS THERE. I have taught my children to do the same thing.

I believe the actor Pat Hingle lost part of a finger through a elevator accident?

[jocon307]

Very sad for this young man. And that poor woman stuck on the elevator, ack! I'd have been quite hysterical myself.

It's another oh, the humanity moment. When God wants you, you're going, that's all I can really say.

[demkicker]

Know what you mean. I don't like the feel of the elevators in my office building either. I'm sort of used to them now, but every now and then a lurch or moaning sound makes me nervous. Think I'm going to inquire about the maintenance tomorrow morning!

[cajungirl]

I wonder, you know how you hit the button open thing to keep the dooor open when people are running to get the elevator. I always kind of panic and cant find the right button, plus they have those diagrams on them for people who cant read and they always confuse me. Support the poor woman hit the wrong button and thinks she killed him.

[Phsstpok]

"Damien: Omen 2"?

my first thought when I read this was the large volume of strange deaths in those movies that "just happened" to eliminate those that might threaten the plans of the anti-christ. This guy wanted to be a Christian missionary. Where to? Who did he threaten, here or there?

I am not an appocalyptic fundamentalist, constantly switching between Revelations and the left behind books (I've read the former, but not the latter). Having said that, it sure appears that the armies of Satan are on the march right now. So much of what is happening in the world, both the big events and the strange little ones like this, bears the hallmark of the prince of lies.

[BraveMan]

Good point. I'll be paying stricter attention to the E-Stop from now on . . .

[TommyDale]

Probably a good idea. A man ran to an elevator in Washington, DC and put his arm in between the rubber stops to re-open the door, which was almost closed. They closed anyway, and the elevator took off and severed his arm. Not all elevators work the same way, and not all are 100% trouble-free, even after they have been inspected.

[joonbug]

Same thing happened to a nurse in a Detroit hospital a few years ago.

[RandallFlagg]

I used to have all of the "Omen" books.

[UncleDudley]

They are major penny pinchers. Baylor only takes care of their equipment when something goes wrong. When Baylor takes over a hospital they cut all contracts(doctors and service) and then never order any preventive maintaince or annual checks

Where is the money going? Could it be illegal alien useage of the hospital system is causing a financial pinch?

[Consort]

..."The Intuitionist"

[demkicker]

Another gruesome "death by elevator in a hospital" story happened here in Houston two years ago during tropical storm Alicia. Lots of flooding took place in the medical center and a woman was going down in a hospital elevator to move her car from the rising water in the parking lot. The electricity went out and she was trapped in the elevator and drowned. I can't imagine how desperate and terrified she must have been.... At least this doctor died quickly.