Elderly Man in His 70s Falls to Death Trying to Rescue Leashed Dog in Elevator

Fall from 1st Floor to Basement Level 2 in Incheon Apartment
Door Forced Open with Help from Management Office at Time of Accident

A woman in her 70s died after falling to the basement level 2 floor while trying to forcibly open an elevator door to rescue her dog, whose leash got caught as the elevator doors closed before the dog could get on.

At around 7:52 a.m. on the 23rd, Ms. A, a woman in her 70s, fell to the basement level 2 floor from the first floor of an apartment in Namdong-gu, Incheon. It was understood that Ms. A, upon seeing her dog’s leash caught as the elevator doors closed on the first floor before the dog could get on, tried to forcibly open the door with the help of the management office to rescue the dog, which led to the accident.

A woman in her 70s fell while trying to force open an elevator door to rescue her dog, whose leash got caught as the door closed before the dog could enter. The photo is not directly related to the article. [Image source=Getty Images]

This elevator is designed so that when forcibly opened, the floor is not visible and there is a direct open shaft down to the basement passage. At the time of the accident, a management office employee reported to 119 emergency services, "A person has fallen from the elevator." Ms. A was transported to the hospital by 119 paramedics in cardiac arrest but ultimately passed away. Police and fire authorities are investigating the exact circumstances of the accident.

Meanwhile, various elevator accidents continue to occur. On the 16th, a cargo elevator accident at a manufacturing company in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, resulted in the death of a worker. Worker B (45) fell approximately 13 meters to the floor while inspecting a cargo elevator at the workplace around 8:50 a.m. that day and died.

Also, in January, an elevator repair technician fell to his death at a new apartment construction site. At around 3:40 p.m. on January 22, technician C, in his 30s, fell to his death inside the elevator shaft at a new apartment site located in Godeok-dong, Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. At the time, C was climbing a ladder installed on the shaft wall to reach the top of the elevator car when, for unknown reasons, the elevator malfunctioned and suddenly ascended. Losing his balance, C fell to the basement level 2 floor.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Similar accidents also occurred multiple times last year. On June 23 of last year, a 20-something worker D fell to his death while inspecting an elevator at an apartment in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. It is known that just before the accident, he sent a text message to a colleague saying, "It’s hard to work alone, please help." When the colleague who received the message arrived at the site, D was not on the 7th floor where he was working. The colleague found D fallen on the basement level 2 floor and called 119. D was in cardiac arrest when found and was transported to a nearby hospital but eventually died.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s regulations on safe operation and management of elevators, the managing entity or maintenance operator of an elevator must form an inspection team consisting of at least two employees. However, these regulations are not properly followed on site, leading to continuous occurrences of various elevator accidents.