It is taken for granted by most people that an elevator moves only after its doors are securely closed and not while the doors are open. But events on the evening of June 3 at a 23-story condominium building in Tokyo's Minato Ward have betrayed this trust.
That evening, Hirosuke Ichikawa, a 16-year-old high school student, straddling his bicycle, was in the process of backing out of an elevator on the 12th floor when the elevator suddenly started going up while both the outside and inner doors were open. He became wedged between the floor of the elevator and the building. Although rescuers freed him about an hour later and rushed him to a hospital, he died shortly afterward. His injuries included a fractured skull.
After the elevator was switched off and resucers freed the student, the elevator made another irregular movement: It went up and stopped only after reaching the upper limit, just above the top floor. The elevator, which can accommodate up to 28 people, came into use in April 1998.