Death by shed

[tabbypurr]

I didn't know they were so deadly.

NT

[Brian Gaff]

Its hardly a new story though is it, Indeed i seem to recall this from the time as it was used to try to get people who lived alone to have some kind of back up or panic button in place. A while ago somebody in Kingston died by Garage. He fell through the asbestos roof. Only last week there was a report that a a lady had been killed by an electric garage door which malfunctioned. You just have to be careful with these outbuildings. Brian

[pamela]

"On searching the house police found rifles and hand grenades".

Interesting.

[DerbyBorn]

Brian - just to explain - the woman killed was trying to open a communal basement type roller shutter door made of large mesh type links. She put her arm through the links to reach a switch that would normally only be used by people on the inside. The door immediately opened and she was trapped by her arm.

[Andrew Gabriel]

A few decades ago, I heard a similar indoor one.

A married couple (but not married to each other) had booked in to a hotel for a couple of days sex whilst telling their partners they were away on a business trip. As was their chosen style, she had been handcuffed, hands and feet to the bed, her mouth taped over, and he had dressed up as Superman. A chair and table were dragged over to the wardrobe so he could climb up onto the top, ready to jump down and rescue the mistress from the bed.

However, Superman's plans took a turn for the worse when, as he tried to jump off, the top of the wardrobe caved in and he fell inside. After the sound of slintering wood stopped, he found he was locked in the wardrobe, and of course, she was still locked to the bed.

Being somewhat embarrassed at their predicament, they didn't have the courage to screem for help (and indeed, she couldn't anyway). They were found the next morning by the cleaner.

[newshound]

That sounds like a dreadful bit of design.

[DerbyBorn]

Common enough roller shutter door - to allow light and ventilation. Only a resident would know about the switch - it was not meant to be used in that manner - only for use to open it from the inside to get out. A sad lesson about switch positioning.

[Nightjar]

I would have thought that a door like that was to prevent unauthorised entry. That alone should dictate that the switch should be designed or positioned so that it could not be operated from outside, even with a long stick.

[Roger Hayter]

I have often found it a nuisance (but have understood) when having to stand holding the button on a large and heavy roller door to maintain its movement until open or closed. If I ever install even a small one I shall use a similar system.

[The Natural Philosopher]

wasn't some kid strangled by standing on an electrical windows switch in a car that trapped her head in a closing window??

[Roger Mills]

Not unless she had a very soft neck - electric windows are designed to reverse if they hit any significant resistance.

[DerbyBorn]

Really????? Mine don't. There is a overload trip - the same as when it is fully closed.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Its a fairly recent thing, and not that common even now

[charles]

They are now - they weeren't then

[dennis]

What sort of prat leaves a three year old alone in a car?

[Another John]

and

[guffaw] ... Newshound's response came in on my Newsreader straight after Andrew's tale --- I read it as being a comment on Andrew's tale not (as in fact) on the roller door. In the spirit of that Victoria Wood sketch, where she talks about finding "Readers' Wives" in her boyfriend's mucky book ... pausing slightly, tutting disgustedly, and then saying "ah've never seen such a horrible collection of bedheads in me life."

[Andy Burns]

Someone nearly tried the experiment for us today, but got her arm ripped off instead ...

[Tim+]

It doesn't actually say that it was the electric window that did the damage.

Tim

[Alan Braggins]

Seems unlikely that it was - if you were planning to close an electric window, you wouldn't lean through the window to do it - even if you hit the button to close it and then got your arm out before it closed, that would leave the keys in the ignition.

[Capitol]

The lady concerned leaned in through the window to start the car to power the electic windows AIUI. Unfortunately the car was in gear! Can't happen with an auto gearbox.