Ceilings in institutional and commercial facilities are so much more than just ceilings. They play a major role in creating the ambience of a room, and they allow maintenance and engineering managers to conceal a range of facility components, including water pipes, HVAC vents, and electrical wires and cables.
In the case of one man, a ceiling also was an escape route, according to AL.com. The man had been taken to the University of Alabama-Birmingham hospital after claiming he swallowed a razor blade. An X-ray at the hospital did show an object in his system.
While hospitalized, he had been guarded and restrained with leg irons and handcuffs. But a hospital staff member asked that the restraints be removed for him to shower.
A deputy was stationed outside the shower door, heard a bump and looked in to see the man climbing into the ceiling. The escapee navigated his way out of the building, where he carjacked someone — reportedly a hospital employee — outside the hospital.
The man, charged with attempted murder, rape and robbery, later was recaptured.
This Quick Read was submitted by Cathryn Jakicic, Healthcare Industries Editor, FacilitiesNet. For more about hospital campuses and other medical facilities, visit https://www.facilitiesnet.com/healthcarefacilities.
