Deadly Roppongi door draws scrutiny

[Hachiko]

The automatic revolving door at the Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo that crushed a child to death moves about 25 cm even after built-in safety sensors are activated, the door's manufacturer said Saturday.
The 6-year-old boy died Friday after getting his head jammed in the door, prompting safety concerns about such devices.

It was also learned that the sensor system has a blind spot that does not respond to objects.

The accident has prompted shopping facilities in Tokyo and Osaka to conduct checks on similar revolving doors.



Japan Times (http://www.japantimes.com/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040328a2.htm)

[Ewok85]

I hate those revolving doors, why cant they just use the widely accepted automatic sliding doors?

[Mandylion]

Even with all the problems with law suits in countries like the US, the fact that

" A total of 32 similar accidents have occurred at the Roppongi Hills complex since its opening in April, including 10 in which people sustained injuries serious enough to require transport in an ambulance to a hospital..."

And it took the death of a child for the managers of the building to do something about it really makes you wonder... The doors would have been shut down and fixed at injury #1 due to the threat of law suits. I sure hope the Roppongi Hills people helped out those they hurt...

[Uncle Frank]

if you were drunk and crashed your car into some poor Japanese person:the military would send you to apologise
with a carton of cigs & a bottle of Johney Walker Black.
That and a little cash were susposed to make the problem go away! Don't worry, ambulance chaseing lawyers will soon worm their way into the Japanese way of life!

Frank
:o

[Ewok85]

I dunno, not every little accident requires you to sue someone, were only human and half the time its your own fault.