One of my friends, who lives in Stradley on south Campus at Ohio State, posted a new note on her facebook last night. Apparently, people in her dorm tried to cram 24 people in an elevator, and it got stuck. The students pried the door open, and one guy tried to climb out to get help. Apparently, he was halfway out, when the elevator started to fall. He got crushed, and died on scene.
I'm absolutely in shock. Not just that there was a death on campus, or that it was someone my friend knew. I'm shocked at how stupid people can be. 24 people in a six person elevator? Where did they get the idea that that would work?
I don't really know what to think. I'm still kind of in shock.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
It sounds callous of me, but all I can say is: natural selection.
Posted by Sharpie (Member # 482) on :
I agree. It sounds callous of you.
I hope your friend is doing okay, Tinros.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Just saw that story on the news here where I am.
Sad.
Posted by Soara (Member # 6729) on :
How strange.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
His poor family.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Dang. Posted by Dasa (Member # 8968) on :
That's horrible It's doubly sad that the very person who tried to get them out of trouble got hit the worst.
This might not be the time to ask it but, if the elevator fell, how did the rest survive?
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Maybe more than actually falling what it did was resume motion, with him half in and half out of the door.
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
Not quite natural selection, alas; twenty-four people were being stupid, but only one died. Possibly not even the most stupid one, at that. I fear it'll take some time to improve human intelligence at this rate.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
This could be bunk - but isn't there something about elevators that when they fall helps to catch them? Something about the weight of it and the speed downward or something? Like I said - it may be bunk and my own unease with elevators holding on to some absolutely false tidbit.
I'm guessing, also, that he was maybe trying to get out the door and the elevator started moving.
Sad.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
quote:Originally posted by cmc: This could be bunk - but isn't there something about elevators that when they fall helps to catch them? Something about the weight of it and the speed downward or something? Like I said - it may be bunk and my own unease with elevators holding on to some absolutely false tidbit.
My understanding, and I could be horribly, horribly wrong on this, but elevators do have underside emergency brakes. The problem is that they're not applied instantly, but rather latch on after a short period of time and a certain speed so that they suffice to prevent the elevator from plummeting to the basement, but can still handle the elevator's regular speed.
I'm sure there's an elevator engineer around here *somewhere* that can clarify that...
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
I know from mythbusters, that there are a huge variety of safety devices on elevators to keep them from falling: counterweights, brakes, etc.
The about this situation, at least the way it sounds, is that the elevator went BACK INTO OPERATION, and crushed him with the power of the elevator being let down at normal speed. It seems that it would be difficult to impliment a similar failsafe in an elevator as you might find in a descending garage door, (the motor reverses if it encounters resistance greater than that of normal friction), as elevators carry variable amounts of weight, and this one had 24 people in it. Maybe the elevator was functioning when he was killed.
That or, yeah, the brakes probably aren't effective against a 2 foot drop (which is all it takes )
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
quote:COLUMBUS, Ohio - An Ohio State University student was killed after he was pinned by an elevator, authorities said.
Andrew Polakowski, 18, of Erie, Pa., was the last person in a group of students to enter the elevator on the third floor about 11:30 p.m. Friday when it unexpectedly began to descend with the doors open, said Rick Amweg, assistant chief of the campus police.
Polakowski, a freshman pre-business major, was pinned when he tried to escape through a gap between the top of the elevator and the third floor, police said.
It was unclear if he jumped or tried to climb out, Amweg said. It also wasn't clear why the elevator descended with the doors open. Students gave differing accounts of how many people were inside.
Polakowski had chest and abdominal injuries, and he died of mechanical asphyxia, said Franklin County Coroner Dr. Bradley Lewis. The student was dead at the scene, Lewis said.
The dormitory, Stradley Hall, has 11 floors and about 400 residents, Amweg said.
I see it doesn't mention the incident being related to an elevator-stuffing stunt.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
Why were they taking the elevator down from the third floor? Sort of an unimportant point, I know, but if they had taken the stairs it would have saved this student's life. Or are stairs not available in that dorm for non-emergency use? If so, that needs to be changed.
This was a horrible thing, either way. And more horrible because it could have been avoided so easily.
Posted by DaisyMae (Member # 9722) on :
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
There are definately stairs available, I've taken them before when the elevators were being used for students on move in day. South Campus is party central, so I'm guessing they were drunk. The elevators probably started descending with the doors open because it was over filled, and too heavy. Just my guess.
This is one more reason I'll never drink or participate in anything stupid.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
Yah, Javert, the fact that there were stairs is unimportant- they probably didn't even need to go downstairs, but it's a college dorm in october, I give 99% odds that nearly all of them were bombed, or at least drinking.
Gotta admit I might have done something similar at 18 if my dorm had had an elevator, and if I had been drunk. Like my psych professor says: "everyone says they wouldn't do it, but the numbers say that most of them are wrong."
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
Reminds me of earlier this year at my school three young students, I think two guys and a girl, left a party and apparently decided to go off in a boat. Their bodies were found months later. At least in that incident there were no witnesses to be traumatized :-/
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Who cares if there were stairs or not? When I lived on campus, we had this unspoken rule that you had to take the stairs if you lived on the fourth floor or below. However, whenever it was night time or a weekend, when we knew most people were out, we'd take the elevator to our hearts' content.
Also, who cares if they were drunk or not? Elevators are creepy. Perhaps there was a malfunction with the elevator that was not caused by alcohol, hm?
-pH
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
And that, my friends, is why I am very glad the dorms were filled by the time I got around to registering. I'm paying for an apartment that is a) centrally located b) cheap c) 2 bedroom 2 bath d) small and quiet.
24 people in a 6 person elevator? I would've died simply because of claustrophobia. Or I would've killed somebody. Just the thought of it makes me sick.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I was in an overstuffed elevator at a Mormon youth event once. Just saying booze didn't have to be involved. A bunch of kids from the suburbs think an elevator is a pretty cool toy. Of course, I was also 14.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
A six-person elevator is TINY. I can't see how that many people could physically fit in that kind of space, if that was the actual maximum capacity.
-pH
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by pooka: I was in an overstuffed elevator at a Mormon youth event once. Just saying booze didn't have to be involved. A bunch of kids from the suburbs think an elevator is a pretty cool toy. Of course, I was also 14.
I got stuck in an elevator in Europe when I was 12. It wasn't overstuffed. It was just insane. It regularly stopped in between floors, and we'd have to crawl out or jump down.
-pH
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
Message from the University President:
"he Ohio State University community has experienced a devastating loss of a first-year student, Andy Polakowski, who died in an elevator accident in Stradley Hall on Friday. I extend my heart-felt condolences to Andy’s family and friends and my sincere empathy to those who were with him at the time of his death.
It is critically important that we understand all the facts about this terrible situation before drawing any conclusion about the cause or causes. An investigation is already being conducted by the University’s Department of Public Safety, and the University will also cooperate fully with the separate investigation being conducted by the Ohio Department of Commerce, which is the state’s regulatory agency for elevator safety.
Rich Hollingsworth, the interim Vice President of Student Affairs, will immediately develop and implement an action plan based on a comprehensive review of the incident. Ohio State already has in place a well-defined extensive elevator inspection, preventive maintenance, and service program. I have also asked Student Affairs to arrange for an independent review of all residence hall elevators to give our students added confidence that their elevators are safe and secure. The safety and well-being of our students on campus is of paramount importance to me.
Once again, I want to express my sorrow for a tragedy that has affected all of us on campus."
We all got that in an email.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I know this happened at least once before, but it was back in the 1950s... my great aunt was killed in nearly exactly the same way. No overstuffing involved, she was half in and half out of the elevator, and it misfired and went, without the doors closing. At least in her case it broke her spine and she died instantly.
If the elevators were of an older vintage, they may not have had the most current safety equipment installed. Or the door shutting mechanism may have just malfunctioned.
AJ
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
well, they did a load test on the elevator next to it, and it failed. So now the only one in operation is the service elevator. The elevators normally hold 2500 pounds.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Is it an Otis or something else? My dad worked at the only US Otis factory for 30 years and was flown to Chicago once to do tests on a malfunctioning elevator.
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
I have no idea. It passed its last safety inspection in July. Granted, they had more than twice the number of allowed people in the elevator, so even if it turns out it was working completely, it's the students who are at fault here. Apparently, they were on their way to a party- I'm not sure if they were drunk yet or not, but I'm betting at least some of them were.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
That's one thing that's always bothered me about elevators: elevators should be designed so that the weight capacity it can handle matches the amount of people that the elevator can physically contain.
At the MetroRail station I'm at every day, every time I ride the elevator I see the "Maximum capacity: 4000 pounds", then try to mentally calculate how much each of the fifteen to twenty people that try to cram in to it weigh. We could *easily* get more weight in to that thing, but what, do we prevent people by coming in to the elevator by telling them "sorry, you're too heavy"?
Posted by Josh Evensen (Member # 9814) on :
Wow, that sucks. What a shitty way to die. On the note of what Nighthawk said, though, imagine how akward it would be if you were in an elevator and you really thought someone was too heavy to come into it. Like, what if it was moderately full, and all the sudden a group of like 6 500 pound men come and want to get in? Akward.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
The whole point of "Maximum Capacity: ... " is to make sure that passengers leave a HUGE safety margin while using the elevator. If the report in facebook is true, the students decided to load two tons on an elevator safety-rated for a half ton: about the same as six students piling into a car then driving into the elevator.
[ October 24, 2006, 10:27 AM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
Most of the relatively heavy people I know wouldn't get on the elevator in that case. If they insisted, I'd just get off.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
quote:Originally posted by aspectre: The whole point of "Maximum Capacity: ... " is to make sure that passengers leave a HUGE safety margin while using the elevator. If the report in facebook is true, the students decided to load two tons on an elevator safety-rated for a half ton: about the same as six students piling into a car then driving into the elevator.
Again. Have you SEEN a six person elevator? One that is actually only intended for six people? My old building had one, and I'm not sure we could've put FOUR people in there, much less twenty-four. Unless all the kids were Nicole Ritchie clones, I don't see how it's physically possible.
-pH
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:Originally posted by pH:
quote:Originally posted by aspectre: The whole point of "Maximum Capacity: ... " is to make sure that passengers leave a HUGE safety margin while using the elevator. If the report in facebook is true, the students decided to load two tons on an elevator safety-rated for a half ton: about the same as six students piling into a car then driving into the elevator.
Again. Have you SEEN a six person elevator? One that is actually only intended for six people? My old building had one, and I'm not sure we could've put FOUR people in there, much less twenty-four. Unless all the kids were Nicole Ritchie clones, I don't see how it's physically possible.
-pH
That's kind of the point, though: this was pretty obviously some stupid stunt, and they were likely piling people into the elevator in completely nonsensical, uncomfortable, unsafe ways.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I'm so sorry that you and your classmates have to deal with this loss, Tinros, and even moreso for his family. I'm going to muse a bit about incidents like this below, and I wanted to make sure to warn you about that and express my condolences first.
This reminds me of my mother's deeply ingrained impatience with any glorification of prankster silliness. She had a sense of humor, but she had no truck with stupidity. I think it was her severe eye-rolling and scathingly sarcastic critique of all actions she considered senseless and dumb that kept me out of trouble when I was a young'un.
Man. I can't count how many times she said "Sara! Do you really want that to be what people read in your obituary?" Hundreds, for sure, if not into the thousands.
We also got an additional birthday present for every year we had managed to stay alive. (*wry grin) Mine was a family focused on death, tragedy, and the overwhelming certainty of eventual failure of all things. We were a dour, grim lot -- albeit long-lived -- and I carry on the tradition with as rigidly morbid an outlook as at all possible.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
eros, I don't think there's floor space for that many people. They'd have to be contortionists literally piling one on top of the other. On top of that, it's unlikely that every one fo them weighed 200 lbs. I seem to recall that most of the time, the person capacity, when related to the weight capacity, assumes that every person will be 200+ pounds.
Just sayin' I don't think it's physically possible for 24 people to fit in an elevator that small. Even if they're all crazy contortionists.
-pH
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: "Sara! Do you really want that to be what people read in your obituary?"
Totally stealing that line. (Of course, none of my kids are named Sara, but I'll just have work around that little snag.)
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
The campus newspaper had a little equation. They say that the average college student weighs 150 pounds. So:
24 * 150=3600
Weight limit of the elevator(when functioning correctly) is 2500 pounds.
3600-2500=1100.
They had more than half a ton of extra weight in there, assuming none of them weighed over 150 pounds(which is a ridiculous thing to assume. I'm sure there were at least a couple people in there that weighed over 200).
Those elevators, if I remember correctly, could comfortably fit around 8 people, without backpacks and the like. Uncomfortably, you may be able to cram 12 in there. That's shoulder to shoulder. To double that means piling on top of people.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
There were probably also plenty of people in there who weighed under 150 lbs, if they really got 24 people in there.
-pH
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: "Sara! Do you really want that to be what people read in your obituary?"
Totally stealing that line. (Of course, none of my kids are named Sara, but I'll just have work around that little snag.)
Oh, and it works for all ages, too.
"Sara! Put on your mittens and hat right now! Do you want to catch your death of cold? Do you really want that to be in your obituary: She caught her death of cold because she wouldn't obey her mother? Do you?"
Trust me. Years later, still ringing in my ears. Posted by HollowEarth (Member # 2586) on :
The safety factor for the elevator is at least a factor of 2. Maybe more.
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