Stunt on Elevator Kills S.B. Student
Horseplay on an elevator ended in the bizarre death of an 18-year-old student at UC Santa Barbara Thursday night, authorities reported.
Students were apparently trying to see how many people they could load on an elevator at the San Miguel Hall dormitory when the accident occurred, said Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Fredericks.
“The doors failed to close and the (elevator) car started sinking,” Fredericks said.
“He was stuck at the open entrance when it started sinking and he was crushed between the car and the shaft.”
The victim died an hour later at Goleta Valley Community Hospital.
Identification of the student, believed to be from the San Francisco Bay area, was withheld pending notification of relatives.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
