A regular gym-goer was killed after falling off a treadmill and hitting his head at a gym in Birmingham, an inquest heard.
Kamrul Hassan, 23, suffered a fatal head injury after falling backwards while running on the treadmill at Small Heath Leisure Centre, in August this year.
Birmingham and Solihull coroner, Louise Hunt, called for improved safety measures across all gyms after ruling the death of Hassan was the result of an accident, reports the Birmingham Mail.
She plans to write to the Birmingham Council-run gym to ask that they enforce the use of a ‘safety wire’ whilst using the treadmill.
I have watched the CCTV footage and it shows Mr Hassan falling back, almost in a vertical position and hitting his head. He appears to have been fitting for quite some time.
Hassan – who was studying business in London – spent six days receiving emergency treatment in Queen Elizabeth Hospital and had surgery, but sadly doctors were unable to save his life. He died of a ‘traumatic brain injury’ on August 16.
Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, Hassan’s brother Khairul said: “Kamrul was a kind and polite boy. He was very popular and his death has devastated us and his parents, who are in Bangladesh.” His sister-in-law, Leegi Begum, also paid tribute saying he was ‘a fit man, who enjoyed going to the gym and working out’.
A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said:
We would like to offer our condolences to the family of Kamrul Hassan Rubel. This was a terrible accident at one of our gyms and the coroner is right to think about how a similar accident could be avoided in the future.
Our thoughts are with his friends and family at this difficult time.