A 22-year-old man has died after a barbell slipped from his grasp and crushed his neck at a gym.
Iowa State student Kyle Thomson died on Monday following the weightlifting accident at Elite Edge Transformation Center in Ankeny, Iowa, The Washington Post reports.
Ankeny fire chief James Clack said Thomson was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A spokesman for Elite Edge, Mark Yontz, told the Associated Press there were spotters present at the time of the accident.
Thomson was a graduate of East High in Des Moines, where he played football and baseball.
Speaking to local news outlets, the football coach at East High, Greg Schoon, said:
He was a big kid. That’s weight I know he has handled before, so he probably didn’t have a second thought. He was an all-around good kid, great athlete, good kid in school and the community. It’s a tough loss to comprehend.
Elite Edge owner Joe Brammer issued a statement, describing it as a ‘difficult’ and ‘painful’ time and that their thoughts are with the member’s family.
He added that grief counsellors would be meeting with staff and gym members over the next couple of days.
Our thoughts are with Kyle’s family during this difficult time.
