# The Door to Certain Death **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 5, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617 "2004-10-05T07:32:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/1 "2004-10-05T07:32:53Z")
My brother walked out of a door that lead to nowhere. This is very hard to explain but I will try. We went to my mother’s friend’s house Sunday afternoon and they have a side door, but in order to get in this door you had to walk up some stairs that were outside and when you opened it you would be inside right in between the upper story and lower story and obviously from there you could choose to walk upstairs or downstairs. The stairs leading up to this door from the outside were old and not safe so my mom’s friend had them removed but she still had not locked the door or had a new set of steps built so when you open this door you look down at what _I’m guessing \* is a 10 foot drop. She warned us once not to open that door and later my brother forgot and walked out of it. He was very lucky, he didn’t die or become paralyzed, or even break a leg although he did break his ankle. He also has a broken arm, dislocated shoulder and bruised ribs and ego. He landed on one foot and tumbled somehow it actually looked comical. I honestly didn’t think he got hurt, silly me. So please wish my brother a speedy recovery and **pray** (or do whatever you do) that this lady will take some responsibility for being stupid enough to have an unlocked door in her house that leads to nowhere :smack: . She kept saying that her husband almost fell out of it…“then why don’t you keep it locked :wally !?” Now she is saying she_ might \* help with the medical expenses and my mother’s response is “Whatever you can do”. I have no say but I wanted to say “Uh mom were kind of on the poor side…Do the words pain and suffering mean anything to you?” The worst part of all is that I have to sleep in the same room with my brother and trust me, by next week he’s going to have the B.O. that would offend a homeless person ridng the bus. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/2 "2004-10-05T07:46:14Z")
Hmm, why were you guys wandering about? Its obvious that you are strangers to the house, so it seems a bit weird that you would be exploring someone else’s house without the host. :dubious: In any case, hope your bro heals fast. Ouch! ---
**Author:** ![START](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@START](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/START)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/3 "2004-10-05T07:52:04Z")
> [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > Hmm, why were you guys wandering about? > Its obvious that you are strangers to the house, so it seems a bit weird that you would be exploring someone else’s house without the host. > :dubious: > > In any case, hope your bro heals fast. Ouch! She isn’t quite a stranger she is my mom’s friend (sort of) but if you must know we were hanging out with her husband having “guy time” while she and my mom had “girl time”. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/4 "2004-10-05T07:59:48Z")
At least your brother didn’t walk out the door at the [Winchester Mystery House](http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/) that leads nowhere. Then he would have fallen from the third story instead. Apparently they’ve permanently sealed the door; it used to just have a rope and a sign warning that the door opened onto thin air. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/5 "2004-10-05T10:18:23Z")
> [@Start](#): > > I have no say but I wanted to say “Uh mom were kind of on the poor side…Do the words pain and suffering mean anything to you?” I think that says it all. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/6 "2004-10-05T11:28:42Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I think that says it all. What do you think it says? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/7 "2004-10-05T11:31:54Z")
The door to certain ankle breakage? ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/8 "2004-10-05T12:13:58Z")
I think it says that “friend” should be sued. Considering that they allowed guests over, YOUNG guests over (I’m assuming START and his bro’s age here) with a serious and obviously hazardous situation which they made not even the smallest attempt to remedy, they deserve to be sued. It obviously took a great deal of time and effort to remove the stairs in the first place, the additional effort to secure the door would have been minimal, like nailing a board or two across it. :rolleyes: I’m not normally one to say “sue the bastards” and I don’t agree with using this as a money grab because your poor. However, if these people won’t pony up the dough for legit medical expenses caused by their own pathetic negligence, let the courts decide what you deserve from them. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/9 "2004-10-05T12:17:52Z")
How difficult can it be _lock a door_ ? ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/10 "2004-10-05T12:19:17Z")
And there’s a ‘to’ in there somewhere. Honest! ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/11 "2004-10-05T13:06:53Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > What do you think it says? I think it says that the OP is a spoiled-brat opportunist who, along with his brother, ignored specific warnings and took it upon himself not only to go through the house like a burglar scoping it out, but to step through the door with utter carelessness. Frankly, I doubt the story is entirely true, if at all. As Judge Judy says, if it doesn’t make sense, it probably isn’t true. He says that the woman’s husband was with them as they skulked around. It makes no sense that he would stand idly by just watching while the boys opened the door. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/12 "2004-10-05T13:07:01Z")
_ **Try** _ to help with the medical costs? That’s what homeowner’s insurance is for. If they own the place then, they should have insurance. If they’re renting, then wouldn’t have been the landlord’s responsibility to fix the stairs, and the landlord’s insurance should cover the expenses. That being said, who the hell steps into nothingness? Did he open the door and not even look out to see there was nothing to step on? Did a trap door open suddenly? There’s a lot of stupidity going on in that residence. Idiotic to have an unlocked door leading to open sky. And stupid to pull a Wile E. Coyote. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/13 "2004-10-05T13:11:56Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > Try to help with the medical costs? That’s what homeowner’s insurance is for. If they own the place then, they should have insurance. Our policy has an interesting medical emergency clause for just exactly that sort of scenario. It will pay up to $5,000 in case someone steps into a hole and sprains his ankle or something. That is completely separate from the liability clause. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/14 "2004-10-05T13:19:53Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > There’s a lot of stupidity going on in that residence. Idiotic to have an unlocked door leading to open sky. And stupid to pull a Wile E. Coyote. I disagree that pulling a Wile E. Coyote is stupid, in this scenario. Ever stubbed your toe on something you left laying around? Same concept: if you’re used to something, it’s easy to forget that it’s changed. I could easily see myself doing something like this, which is why I’d lock the door or errect some kind of other barrier to prevent it from happening. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/15 "2004-10-05T13:39:06Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > And stupid to pull a Wile E. Coyote. In which case he would have walked out into thin air, turned around, gulpled, looked down, pedalled his feet frantically while reaching out to the doorway, fallen, and kicked up a little puff of smoke when he hit the ground. And you think that’s “stupid” do you? That takes _talent_ and precise comic timing. Wish I’d seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/16 "2004-10-05T13:53:37Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > I disagree that pulling a Wile E. Coyote is stupid, in this scenario. Ever stubbed your toe on something you left laying around? Same concept: if you’re used to something, it’s easy to forget that it’s changed. I could easily see myself doing something like this, which is why I’d lock the door or errect some kind of other barrier to prevent it from happening. But it’s not his house so the kid wasn’t used to walking out that door. Sure we walk out our own doors all the time without checking to make sure the stoop is still there; but most people manage to never walk out onto a balcony that is no more. **Futile Gesture** : 😃 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/17 "2004-10-05T14:02:42Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > But it’s not his house so the kid wasn’t used to walking out that door. Sure we walk out our own doors all the time without checking to make sure the stoop is still there; but most people manage to never walk out onto a balcony that is no more. Well, if they’re family friends, it stands to reason that he’d been there before. Perhaps **START** can clarify? I know that when I was a kid, I got to know the homes of some friends and relatives almost as well as my own. If my Grandma removed her back porch, I could see myself walking out onto thin air. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/18 "2004-10-05T14:04:56Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I think it says that the OP is a spoiled-brat opportunist As opposed to someone who skulks through message boards just waiting to sermonize on his own political agenda? Lib, you are so predictable. It’s not unreasonable to expect to walk through a door to the outside, even in a stranger’s house, and not drop 10 feet. Honestly, how many doors do you walk through every day that are not in your own home? And how often, when doing that, do you consciously say “Gee, I’d better make sure there’s some floor on the other side”? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/19 "2004-10-05T14:10:08Z")
> [@Tdn](#): > > As opposed to someone who skulks through message boards just waiting to sermonize on his own political agenda? Political agenda? Yeah, I’m here shilling for the Stories That Smell Fishy Party. Meanwhile, in Cafe Society, I’m touting the official platform of the Elton John for President Committee. And in Great Debates, I’m representing the Peoples Republic of Modal Logic. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2004, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617/20 "2004-10-05T14:21:41Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > As opposed to someone who skulks through message boards just waiting to sermonize on his own political agenda? Lib, you are so predictable. > > It’s not unreasonable to expect to walk through a door to the outside, even in a stranger’s house, and not drop 10 feet. Honestly, how many doors do you walk through every day that are not in your own home? And how often, when doing that, do you consciously say “Gee, I’d better make sure there’s some floor on the other side”? Of course there’s this: > [@START](#): > > She warned us once not to open that door and later my brother forgot and walked out of it. And on top of that there’s this: > [@START](#): > > I have no say but I wanted to say “Uh mom were kind of on the poor side…Do the words pain and suffering mean anything to you?” The world ain’t your cash cow, **START.** It’s not like these people pushed him out of the door. They warned him, he didn’t heed the warning. If your brother isn’t able to supervise himself, and YOU weren’t able to do it either, maybe you shouldn’t have been away from your mom then. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-door-to-certain-death/267617.md?page=2)