A young Queenslander is fighting for his life after a horrific gym accident at a Police Citizens Youth Club.
15-year-old Ben Shaw was pushing 98kg on a bench press when the bar crashed down on his neck, pinning him down in the process.
The teenager was working out alone at the club in Pine Rivers, despite PCYC gym rules stating children under 16 years of age aren’t permitted to use weights without supervision.
Workplace Health and Safety is now investigating and will review CCTV footage.
It’s understood Ben, who weighs 65kg, was pinned under the bar for 20 minutes before a staff member found him and called paramedics. 7 News reports he was in cardiac arrest when his mother arrived to pick him up.
PCYC chief executive Phil Schultz released the following statement:
“Our hearts go out to his family and friends and the wider community and we’re offering counselling and ongoing support to anyone impacted by this.
“At this stage at PCYC Queensland our focus and our thoughts are with the person in question.
“This is a terrible incident and everyone here at PCYC Qld has been impacted by it.”
Ben remains on life support at Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ben and his family.
