I was trapped in an elevator while carrying my body… A bereaved family in terror for 20 minutes

In a large hospital in Seoul, the bereaved family who tried to move their bodies to the funeral hall were trapped for 20 minutes in an accident where the elevator stopped. Bereaved family members claim to suffer mental damage after the accident.

According to hospital A and the bereaved families in downtown Seoul on the 28th, the elevator in the hospital’s main building stopped running at 10:30 pm on the 7th, and one body, 10 bereaved families, and a funeral instructor were trapped.

It was reported that boarding space was insufficient at the time, but the outsourcing company’s funeral instructor did not care and guided all the survivors to board.

The allowance for boarding the elevator is up to 24 people·1.6 tons.

The bereaved family felt fear that they were trapped with the body at the time, and a bereaved family suffering from heart disease said that they even felt breathing difficulties.

The bereaved family members who had finished the funeral complained of mental pain and demanded compensation for damages such as psychiatric treatment, claiming that the hospital was responsible for the accident.

The hospital said that after the accident, a company employee who received an interphone call took measures such as lowering the elevator to the first floor by manual operation.

In addition, the hospital said, “Usually, the company is responsible for the maintenance and repair of elevators and the responsibility for accidents and compensation,” he said. “I apologized to the survivors and guided them to receive compensation through the company.”

The company’s position is that it is an accident due to carelessness of passengers. The company said to the bereaved, “The elevator has stopped in order to ensure safety because there is a body carrying bed on one side and 11 people flock to the other side and the level is not aligned,” and “the elevator worked normally.”

The bereaved family protested that neither the hospital nor the elevator company was responsible. The survivors plan to continue raising concerns against hospitals and businesses until compensation is received.

Reporter Lee Ji-young [email protected]