Aug. 18, 2003  |  HOUSTON (AP) — A surgical resident was killed when an elevator malfunctioned and decapitated him, authorities said.

Hitoshi Nikaidoh, 35, was stepping into a second-floor elevator at Christus St. Joseph Hospital Saturday morning when the doors suddenly closed, pinning his shoulders. His head was severed when the elevator car moved upward.

A hospital employee witnessed the accident and spent about 20 minutes trapped inside the elevator before firefighters rescued her. She was treated for shock in the hospital’s emergency room, hospital spokeswoman India Chumney Hancock said.