Friday the 13th jinx: 2 elevator riders die in Metro

Two men from different cities in the metropolis simply ran out of luck on Friday the 13th when they died in separate freak accidents while using workplace elevators. At the stroke of midnight, a hospital attendant plummeted to his death inside an empty elevator shaft at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City. About 11 hours later, a factory worker passed away after his neck was pinned inside an elevator of a Valenzuela City plastic factory. The Quezon City police is considering to file charges against the Capitol Medical Center administration for allegedly failing to immediately report the death of Danvy Davides, 28. Radio station dzMM quoted Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula, QC police chief, as saying that the hospital should bear responsibility over the incident. Initial investigation showed that Davides insisted on boarding the elevator on the hospital's sixth floor, despite warnings that it was out of order. Davides reportedly forced open the elevator doors and stormed in without knowing that there was no elevator unit. He crashed to the bottom of the shaft, killing him instantly. The radio report said hospital officials reported the accident to the police more than 12 hours after the victim died. Gatdula said it was a standard operating procedure to report any accident to the police, especially if involves a person's death. Hospital officials' have reportedly refused to discuss more information about the mishap with the police as of posting time. In a phone interview, the hospital's security officer Eusebio Cunanay confirmed that an employee indeed died in the medical facility, but refused to elaborate. He said the victim's family had been informed about the incident. Meanwhile in Valenzuela, the police said 19-year-old worker Larry Jorlito died after a companion put heavy load inside the elevator, causing the doors to abruptly close with just the teenager inside. Other workers to run to the second floor of the Asian Plastic Center in Mapulang Lupa village and attempted to free him using a steel saw. "The elevator door was made of metal so the other workers had a hard time trying to free the victim," a police investigator said in Filipino. Jorlito, of 301 Captain Cruz St. in Parada village, was finally removed from the elevator after an hour but was declared dead on arrival at the Santicrisimo Rosario Hospital. - GMANews.TV