Dr. Decapitated By Faulty Elevator At St Joseph Hospital

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

[demkicker]

An aspiring missionary doctor, who was voted by medical school classmates as the epitome of a good physician, was killed Saturday 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.

"It is an unexpected and tragic loss," said Dr. Hisashi Nikaidoh, Hitoshi's father, from his Dallas area home. "He is an outgoing and very caring person."

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, the student-leader over six schools within the medical center.

He became a devout Christian while in medical school, his father said. He became a youth group leader and decided to become a missionary doctor.

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.

Both city and state inspectors will review the fatal accident, said a licensed elevator inspector who served on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Department advisory board.

"Annual inspections are required, and I'm familiar with that hospital building and know they have a contracted (maintenance) company," said Alan Van Nort, a member of the state's Elevators, Escalators and Related Equipment Advisory Board.

Van Nort said he also is familiar with another hospital elevator accident earlier this year that injured 14 passengers, including 12 patients, at the Intracare Hospital in the Texas Medical Center area. The elevator dropped several floors before jerking to a stop and broke several passengers' bones and hurt backs and necks.

But hospital elevators are not inspected any more intensely than office building elevators, Van Nort said.

"The city has primary responsibility for inspections, and then reports of any incident go to the state for review," he said.

Mignette Yvonne Dorsey, spokeswoman for the City of Houston Building Services, said the city would be tracking the inspections done by the City Planning Department's inspectors. But there was no specific inspection information available from the city Saturday night.

[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.