# Trapped in a bathroom: did she over-react? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 12, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191 "2013-12-12T19:51:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/21 "2013-12-12T20:28:34Z")
She should’ve gone all Macguyver on them. Make a bomb out of toilet tissue, a used tampon, and some soap. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/22 "2013-12-12T20:30:24Z")
He could have gone to bed and not even realized she didn’t come home. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/23 "2013-12-12T20:32:18Z")
She called before entering the bathroom. Bit of a drama queen. Imagine how she’d react broke down in the woods 30 miles from the nearest house. I’ve been trapped in an elevator a couple times. It’s not fun and I almost had to pee in the corner one time. They showed up just in time to save the carpet. > [@](#): > > She called her husband, former Redskins Running Back Lonnie Perrin, to let him know she would be leaving shortly, worked for another 10 to 15 minutes and then made what she assumed would be a quick run to the bathroom before packing up her bags and heading out. > [@](#): > > “I couldn’t believe it,” she says, fighting back tears as she recounts the hours spent inside. “I felt hopelessness. I felt like I was going to die in there because of the anxiety I was feeling.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/24 "2013-12-12T20:34:03Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Okay, not a good thing. But the report is acting like she was trapped in a sinking boat or a burning building and her escape was a heroic effort to save her life. Yeah but I’ll bet she didn’t have any snacks. Hell, most of us can’t take a 30 minute plane trip without wanting snacks. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/25 "2013-12-12T20:37:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Yeah, that’s the WTF part of the story for me. Why would a bathroom even be lockable so that you couldn’t get out? WTF indeed! You’d think there must be a dozen building code violations there, to have an enclosed room with a door that can be locked from the outside and cannot be opened from the inside. If I were locked in like that, even if it all ended well, I’d raise big-gonzo shit with the building owner/operator/employer/whoever over that. _Maybe_ I would wait a while or try yelling out, but basically, I would not hesitate to bust out any way I could, even if it entails bashing a hole in the wall like that. The laundry rooms in my apartment complex are like that too, and they are locked every night. (Although they have windows with bars on them; but somebody could probably break out easily enough.) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/26 "2013-12-12T20:37:23Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > He could have gone to bed and not even realized she didn’t come home. Could be, I suppose, but not staying up until midnight to make sure your wife made it home OK? In my universe, people just don’t do that. I’m a morning person, not a night owl, but if I absolutely couldn’t stay awake, at the very least I’d set an alarm so I’d be awake when I expected her home. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/27 "2013-12-12T20:46:27Z")
betcha she never uses a bathroom again without her new survival fanny pack. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/28 "2013-12-12T20:46:54Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > WTF indeed! You’d think there must be a dozen building code violations there, to have an enclosed room with a door that can be locked from the outside and cannot be opened from the inside. If I were locked in like that, even if it all ended well, I’d raise big-gonzo shit with the building owner/operator/employer/whoever over that. _Maybe_ I would wait a while or try yelling out, but basically, I would not hesitate to bust out any way I could, even if it entails bashing a hole in the wall like that. > > The laundry rooms in my apartment complex are like that too, and they are locked every night. (Although they have windows with bars on them; but somebody could probably break out easily enough.) I wonder if the lock was installed backwards? It sounds like there’s a key to lock it from the inside and a knob to lock it on the outside. Usually it’s the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/29 "2013-12-12T20:50:16Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Yeah,\* the next morning.\* > > If my wife went missing one evening, and I waited until the next morning to get mobilized to find her, I’d be lucky if the worst thing she did was to divorce me. Not that I would blame her if she chose to claw my eyes out first. It was 10pm. I quite often leave work at 10 or even 11 at night. By the time I get home my wife is asleep. Often she doesn’t wake up when I get into bed, and sometimes I will sleep in te spare room so I don’t risk waking her up. If I was stuck in the toilet at work then there’s every chance she wouldn’t realise until 7am or later the next day. If she had a reasonable length of commute then it’s quite possible her husband would have already gone to bed and not realised she wasn’t home until he woke up. Edit: missed Leaffan’s post. But yes, if one partner is in the habit of working late then it’s quite common for the other not to wait up. ---
**Author:** ![brad\_d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@brad\_d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brad_d)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/30 "2013-12-12T20:51:00Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Could be, I suppose, but not staying up until midnight to make sure your wife made it home OK? In my universe, people just don’t do that. I’m a morning person, not a night owl, but if I absolutely couldn’t stay awake, at the very least I’d set an alarm so I’d be awake when I expected her home. I don’t know - my wife and I have both, at various times, gone to bed before the other has returned from a night out with friends, a late evening at work, or what have you. It doesn’t happen that often, but when it does neither one of us thinks very much of it. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/31 "2013-12-12T20:51:23Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > She called before entering the bathroom. > > Bit of a drama queen. Imagine how she’d react broke down in the woods 30 miles from the nearest house. Generally when your car breaks down, you’re not ‘in the woods,’ you’re ‘on a road that goes through the woods.’ Big difference. And the nearest house wouldn’t be 30 miles away, unless you’re in northern Canada or Alaska or something. But even so, there’s a huge difference between being stranded in the woods, and being trapped in a room in a building that apparently will be unoccupied for the next few days. In the woods, I’d hike downhill until I found a stream to drink from, then I’d follow the stream downstream until I came to a road. If I were already on a road, I’d pick a direction based on my map (yeah, I still carry paper maps) and my recollection of whether there had been any signs of civilization in the past several miles. But I’d be DOING something about my situation. Same thing in the room. I’d be DOING something about my situation, once a couple of hours (to the best of my estimation; without a cell phone, I don’t have a way of knowing what time it is) have passed, and the cavalry hasn’t arrived. And even during those couple of hours, I’d have been periodically pounding the door, and trying to yell underneath the door. But once it had been a good while, I’d assume it was up to me to get myself out. And damned if I’d feel preserving the integrity of the wall was more important than my being able to get out. ---
**Author:** ![jrsone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jrsone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrsone)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/32 "2013-12-12T20:54:12Z")
The husband seems like kind of an idiot. I mean, 8 hours? Really? ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/33 "2013-12-12T20:57:09Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Yeah, that’s the WTF part of the story for me. Why would a bathroom even be lockable so that you couldn’t get out? And even if it is (perhaps as a result of having been converted from some other sort of room), why would anyone bother? What is accomplished by locking a bathroom? Do they have their top-secret prototype Toilet of Tomorrow in there? > [@RTFirefly](#): > > Yeah,\* the next morning.\* > > If my wife went missing one evening, and I waited until the next morning to get mobilized to find her, I’d be lucky if the worst thing she did was to divorce me. Not that I would blame her if she chose to claw my eyes out first. She called her husband to tell him that she’d be leaving work soon at 10 PM. “Soon” in this context, apparently means about 15-20 minutes, since she worked for 10-15 minutes and went to the bathroom before attempting to leave. The article says the office is in downtown Washington, DC. It doesn’t mention her home, but a quick googling suggests that she lives in Clinton, MD. If so, then she’s probably looking at a half-hour drive if traffic is light (based on some Google Maps directions for that general area). Any kind of traffic snarl, or even just heavy traffic on a Friday night, could have put her well after 11 PM getting home. He may have just gone to bed, and/or fallen asleep waiting for her–he’s not a young man, and the timing of events hints that he may be an early riser. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/34 "2013-12-12T20:58:02Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I wonder if the lock was installed backwards? It sounds like there’s a key to lock it from the inside and a knob to lock it on the outside. Usually it’s the other way around. That’s my thought, but it seems like something folks would have complained about. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/35 "2013-12-12T21:01:54Z")
> [@jrsone](#): > > The husband seems like kind of an idiot. I mean, 8 hours? Really? Idiot? What if he had plans early in the morning and went straight to bed? Eight hours is normal human sleep. What if she told him not to wait up, goodnight honey? Would that make you feel better? I’m still pissed at the building owner for having a bathroom that locks from the outside; which is were I believe the outrage should be directed. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/36 "2013-12-12T21:24:31Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > The article says the office is in downtown Washington, DC. It doesn’t mention her home, but a quick googling suggests that she lives in Clinton, MD. If so, then she’s probably looking at a half-hour drive if traffic is light (based on some Google Maps directions for that general area). Any kind of traffic snarl, or even just heavy traffic on a Friday night, could have put her well after 11 PM getting home. I’m familiar with the area. I’d say a trip of more than 45 minutes at that time of evening would be unusual. I’m a morning person too, and roughly the same age as the husband (though I’m probably in better shape, since my sports are bicycling and hiking, rather than football), but I’d have been up, or gone to sleep but set the alarm. I can’t remember a time in 22+ years of marriage when I’ve been in bed, asleep, when my wife came home. ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/37 "2013-12-12T21:28:21Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > \ > I’m still pissed at the building owner for having a bathroom that locks from the outside; which is were I believe the outrage should be directed. It probably violates Code. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/38 "2013-12-12T21:41:19Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Same thing in the room. I’d be DOING something about my situation, once a couple of hours (to the best of my estimation; without a cell phone, I don’t have a way of knowing what time it is) have passed, and the cavalry hasn’t arrived. And even during those couple of hours, I’d have been periodically pounding the door, and trying to yell underneath the door. But once it had been a good while, I’d assume it was up to me to get myself out. And damned if I’d feel preserving the integrity of the wall was more important than my being able to get out. This sounds about right. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect someone to hang around in a bathroom for more than a couple of hours before they do whatever it takes to escape. Especially if they’ve made a good-faith effort to draw attention during those two hours (making noise now and then, shoving hundreds of paper towels under the door, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/39 "2013-12-12T21:43:18Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Two hours to poke through some drywall and insulation? That’s the crazy part. I’d put my boot through the wall in about 30 seconds. Yeah, but you’re one tough mofo. We ain’t all Canadian. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191/40 "2013-12-12T21:46:46Z")
The only place I’ve seen locks on the outside of the bathroom is in outdoor, public places like parks. They lock the doors when the park is closed. However, I don’t think this door was literally locked. From the article: > [@](#): > > Perrin finally broke through and created a large enough hole to fit her arm. She then reached out, grasped for the handle on the other side and opened the door. She was able to open the door by accessing the handle from the outside. The door was not actually locked. Rather, it seems that the inner handle broke or got stuck. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trapped-in-a-bathroom-did-she-over-react/676191.md?page=3)