Doctor decapitated in freak elevator accident... as colleague watched in horror

Daily Mail​

30-07-2025

A doctor was killed after an elevator in his hospital malfunctioned and severed his head, it has been revealed.
Dr Hitoshi Nikaidoh, 35, stepped into a second-floor elevator at St Joseph Medical Center in Houston, Texas, when the doors suddenly closed and pinned his shoulder and head in the doorway.
The elevator then ascended, and he was decapitated.
A colleague was already inside the elevator and remained trapped with part of Dr Nikaidoh's body for 20 minutes before firefighters freed her. She was treated for shock in the hospital's emergency room, according to hospital spokesperson India Chumney Hancock.
The elevator bank was immediately taken out of service, with employees saying a maintenance crew had worked on the mechanics during that week.
An investigation later revealed that wires had not been attached correctly causing the elevator's sensors to fail, leading it to go up with Dr Nikaidoh trapped in the doors.
Dr Nikaidoh had just graduated from the University of Texas-Houston Medical School and was training to become an obstetrician-gynecologist.
From a family of physicians, he was also a devout Christian and his father said he aspired to become a missionary doctor.
The accident took place in August 2003, but has resurfaced online in recent weeks after details of the accident were recirculated.
Dr Nikaidoh was reported to have run to catch the elevator and the colleague inside had pressed a button to hold the doors open.
The pair had been planning to travel up to the sixth floor of the hospital.
Elevator 14 in the hospital was the elevator involved in the accident, with firefighters having to remove the door to free the trapped individual.
An investigation later found that the accident was caused by a single wire in the elevator.
If the elevator had been correctly configured, a second wire wouldn't have been mistakenly attached to the controller, which caused the safety sensors to fail.
This would have enabled the car's sensors to function correctly and would have ensured the doors would have released the trapped victim, the Mirror reported.
An inspection by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation revealed 22 code violations with the elevator. It was also found to be a month overdue for its annual inspection.
In a tribute to Dr Nikaidoh, colleagues wrote: 'As a surgeon-to-be, he tutored fellow lower-level medical students on not only how to master the challenges of gross anatomy but also how to develop the skillful art of dissection and respect for the human body.
'As a physician, he taught patients not only to hope when all hope is lost, but also to have faith through which peace can be found.
'Toshi's dedication to academics and education, his compassion for the sick and less fortunate, and his tireless devotion to his faith, family, and friends have all continued to touch and change lives of all who knew him, and even of all who only knew of him.'
Elevators are equipped with numerous safety mechanisms and sensors to avoid serious or fatal accidents and to stop them from moving while someone is pinned in their doors.
But data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that the cars are involved in about 30 fatalities every year and seriously injure about 17,000 people annually in the US alone.
About 18billion elevator trips are taken in the US every year, with the average person taking about four trips per day.
In a more recent case from August 2019, a tech executive was crushed by a malfunctioning elevator in New York City.
Sam Waisbren, 30, was trying to exit the elevator and enter the lobby of the Manhattan Promenade Tower when the car suddenly fell and trapped him between the wall and the elevator shaft.
His cause of death was listed as 'mechanical asphyxia', or when someone is left unable to breathe by mechanics, with the accident occurring in the building at East 25th Street and Third Avenue.