A man narrowly avoided getting decapitated when an elevator malfunctioned and the doors closed in on him, video footage shared online Sunday shows.
The footage depicts the moment a man attempted to exit an elevator — but the dumbwaiter started descending to the next floor before he could get his whole body out through the closing doors and into what looked like a hallway. In the last, split second, the man seemed to realize what was happening and fell backwards into the elevator as it moved downwards, saving him from what would likely have been serious injury or death had the doors closed on his body.
The incident occurred in the Russian city of Krasnodar, in an apartment building where residents had been complaining about the faulty machine for weeks, according to the New York Post. It is unclear what, exactly, the malfunction was, but witnesses described a loud roaring sound, smoke and a fire alarm following the incident, the outlet noted.
Man narrowly avoids getting decapitated by elevator in wild video https://t.co/0GC0ffu6ld pic.twitter.com/qbXWz2FASZ
— New York Post (@nypost) October 11, 2022
Russian apartment and office buildings are plagued by ancient, faulty elevators and other safety issues due to outdated Soviet-era development, the Mirror alleged. Issues with elevators have occurred here in the U.S., with Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice getting stuck inside his mansion’s elevator for nearly 30 minutes in 2021. (RELATED: Man Reportedly Melts In Half After Falling Into Molten Iron)
In September, actress Anna Kendrick got trapped inside an elevator while on her way to the premiere of her movie at the Toronto International Film Festival. She was forced to exit the elevator via the roof hatch.