Teen Crushed, Killed While Lifting Weights

Gym rules say kids are supposed to be accompanied by an adult
By Linda Hervieux,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 2, 2017 11:10 AM CDT
Freak Gym Accident Kills Australian Teen
Condolences are pouring in for Ben Shaw, 15, who was pinned and killed in an accident while lifting weights.   (Facebook)

An Australian teen who was crushed while lifting weights has died, the BBC reports. Ben Shaw, 15, was bench-pressing about 215 pounds at a Brisbane gym last Tuesday when the bar he was pumping slipped, pinning him and crushing his neck. The critically injured teen was rushed to a children's hospital and placed on life support, 7News reports. He died on Saturday. The boy was trapped under the bar for at least 30 minutes, per News.com.au. A gym member who was about to begin his workout rushed to save Ben. "There was nobody around," the man's wife says. "He looked over and saw the 15-year-old boy just lying on the bench with a bar right across his neck. … He grabbed the bar off his neck and yelled for help," she says. Two others performed CPR until paramedics arrived.

Workplace safety officials are looking into the accident at the Police-Citizens Youth Club. Gym rules say members under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Club chief Phil Schultz tells ABC Australia they're cooperating with authorities. "This is a terrible incident and everyone here at PCYC Queensland has been impacted by it," he says. Friends posted tributes to Ben on his rugby team's Facebook page. The Pine Central Holy Spirit Hornets writes that Ben's family donated his tissues and organs to save others. "As a club we will be assisting to see the world through Ben's eyes and ensure his legacy lives on in support of his [parents] and family," the post says. (Parents of a teen found dead in a gym mat were ordered to pay nearly $300,000 in others' legal fees.)

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