15-year-old Ben Shaw was attempting to bench press almost 220lbs when the freak accident happened in Brisbane, Australia on Tuesday according to the local media report.
Shaw was found by the gym staff trapped under the hefty weights and taken to hospital on Wednesday, where he later died from his injuries. It is not known how long he was trapped.
According to the local media reports, the weight fell onto the teenager’s throat.
“Ben passed away yesterday afternoon with his family and friends around him,” his family said in a statement.
“Ben was able to leave a legacy and donate his organs and tissue, giving life to others.”
In a brief statement on their Facebook page, Pine Rivers PCYC (Police-Citizens Youth Clubs) said:
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathy goes out to the family of Ben Shaw at this difficult time.’
According to rules at the Police Citizens Youth Club gym, people under 16 must be supervised when lifting weights.
It also states members use the equipment at their own risk and management assumes no responsibility for any injury that may occur.
‘Thorough Investigation’ will examine incident
Authorities said it was too early to tell whether charges would be laid, but they would conduct a thorough investigation.
The local Health Minister described Ben’s death as “a very sad and tragic event“.
“I do know that Workplace Health and Safety Queensland are investigating the matter and they will conduct a thorough review of what occurred and will be very diligent in their investigation of this very sad event,” he said.
“When that report is prepared it will be considered further by any prosecuting authority that’s relevant to the matter, but one step at a time.
“We’ll look very carefully at the incident and prepare a thorough report, keeping in mind always the very sad and tragic impact it’s had on this young man’s family.”
The investigation will also check CCTV footage to determine exactly what happened.
Why didn’t Ben Shaw have a supervision or training partner with him?
A training partner could have prevented him from lifting 220lbs or at least have been there to ensure that he didn’t harm himself. If not a training partner, the staff at the gym should have been present, especially at a youth gym.
As always – be safe and know your limits. Freak accidents happen but many can be prevented with a training partner and little forward thinking.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ben Shaw.
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Damn this kids… 🙁
Freak accident? Really?
Wayne Johns
Awful… Poor family, poor kid.
220 is alot for a boy his age.
Hope he gets well
Gets well? It was fatal.. that means he died!
People don’t generally do well when given fatal injuries…
?
I’m incredibly sorry. I didn’t understand that
Awkward
You need a helper if you try to lift that weight .Rip anyway
Diego Vincent Villeneuve lis les commentaires haha
Brad Kennedy
He is lifting with Zyzz in the clouds bra
This muhfucka says get well soon! Lolz
I’m sorry I didn’t understand
Lmao it’s all good brah
No worries mate!
According to what i read, he laid there with the bar in his throat for 30 MINUTES. where the FUCK is the gym staff? holy shit.
Freak accident or ego lifting ?
Of course some chunky dude with “I Stand” as their profile pic would say that about a teenager.
Elijah Hezekiah Gallichio of course some skinny guy with no calves thinks he’s bad ass. But that’s none of my business.
Shouldn’t of been allowed in
i dont know what to think, at that age we all are stupid and sometimes belive we are superman and cant get hurt, i wouldent go as far as blaming the gym trainers, sometimes the gym is so busy is hard to be supervising everyone , plus like the article says one of the rules in that gym is that everyone under 16 must be supervised the kid was 15 so he wasent that much younger, in my opinion ir was an unfortunate accident that obviously could have been prevented
I thought you train at your own risk at Gym’s? But very sad to hear
Incorrect the gym is if you are under 15 must be supervisor. The kid was the only one in the gym at the time. We have all been stuck on the press once or twice. The kid more than likely rolled the bar the wrong way.
I agree and disagree
If he was alone walking in the gym, the desk, as most have a desk person, should NOT have allowed under age kids to enter without adult supervision.
Parents in the same respect should of had an older person to go with him
On the other hand, if he was the only one in the gym, the trainer/dedk person Should have periodically check on his progress and assist. So it can go all different angles here
Correct they do but it’s 24hrs so he was there during unstaffed hours. And at the end of the day it comes down to ego lifting. We are all guilty of it. But always do it with a spotter.
He must’ve been watching cross fit videos. Please let’s stand to ban the loser Olympics.
You should probably learn to read and think before you speak. If you did either, you would know this happened under the bench press. BENCH PRESS. that’s not Olympic lifting. That’s not crossfit.
It’s bench fking press
He would have struggled with 40kg looking at his photos know your limits always use a spotter until u do.
Exactly it’s ego lifting showing off now his dead coz of his ego
Happened to one of my friends and he was 43 years old. Age doesn’t matter, when using heavier weights always use a spotter. Check your ego at the door and get them glorious gains
These idiots that weight throw and use momentum don’t even get a good workout compared to someone who lifts less but in a controlled way and with a slower cadence. Its far more intense to do this, but at the same time safer and more effective. If i had to guess I would say only around 2% of people train the smart way sadly.
So true always spotter on bench and squats
Safety should be foremost priority
Yes, if you’re a lifting weight you shouldn’t be lifting, use a spotter!
Nathan Doughty so true!!!
36 and i use the smith these days. I dont care what anyone says. Im going heavy but can bail at anytime.
Sam Loya
Not really a freak accident. It’s an obvious result of the given actions. Dangerous and irresponsible actions don’t often have good results.
Bodhi Debry this is why you need to be patient
That is simply sad but why would you even try to bench 220 at 15? i haven’t heard of a kid that young and that powerful…
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/meet-jake-schellenschlager-the-14yearold-who-can-lift-twice-his-weight-20140102-30703.html
I did 210 at 13
This is 220 lb not kg
Half my 14yr old nephews/cousins can…it’s not even about that weight though to tell the truth, a slip with 50kg from the extended height could easily have rendered him unconscious and if the barbell had lodged on his throats then the outcome would remain the same
No guys I’m a lifting enthusiast as well but no 15 yr old can lift that much unless on steroids, in his case his dead now from showing off
I was much stronger than that at 15 and I’ve been natural my entire life. This kid wasn’t properly educated and didn’t take safety precautions. I feel horrible that something like this happened. People have to understand ignorance is dangerous when you’re pushing yourself in the weight room.
Bull Smith your comment is bull shit
Alex Goldmeier
Standard practice that if anything goes above your head no matter what plane of movement – use a spotter. If you haven’t got one don’t be afraid to use the smith machine. Not wanting to sound disrespectful – please don’t EGO lift.
And never be afraid to ask a stranger to spot for because everyone is there for the same reason gains
Good advise boss
Hell no you don’t
Bill George why?
Matthew Pham,Sean Gardiner
At least he went out trying to be big.
Lol noob ego lifting!
That’s why you don’t use clamps, then if you get stuck you can dump the weight. I’ve been stuck multiple times all by myself which is why I stopped using clamps.
EXACTLY
Bryan Laver – 220Ibs? BEAST!!!
? poor lad
Can’t bench 130lbs so goes for 220lbs lol
He paid the ultimate prize for his stupidity, he should’ve been lifting heavy under supervision so that if anything were to go wrong then they might have been help
Jorge Sierra III
Bellend!
Why has no one mentioned the power rack. It is safer than a spotter
This can happen. Don’t over do it and have a spotter in case if you’re going to attempt lifting a very heavy weight.
This is why you shouldn’t ego lift
Indeed! ! StOP that EGO lift .. just do your workout the way you need the do and nothing bad will happend. . Rip and lot of strength for the family
Well said he probably wouldn’t even been able to lift 150 lbs but this is the prime example of ego lifting, we have all been there with ego lifting
Scott Davidson Jonny Howie this could have been me today
I had your back mate
Jonny Howie did you fuck! You’d have watch me die under that heavy weight ??
Yalli dus toch op z’n keel gevallen
why was an unsupervised minor allowed in the gym in the first place?
most gyms allow 14+
waivers were signed in that case… i didn’t join a gym til 18 so i didn’t know that fact, but i’m certain that if a kid joins a gym they at least coach him on the basics
but this gym had an age requirement of 16….so i have no clue how he wasnt supervised as you said
I agree, read my reply to Sergio
Benching in the power rack with safety bar set in the correct height will allow you to dump the bar should you not be able to compete the lift, i have seen recently a 40 year old man damage his C vertebra and end up a paraplegic from benching and not completing the lift and in the struggle end up with the bar on his neck so its not just the young that neglect the safety issues involved very sad loss of a young life.
Somone was ego lifting
No ego lifting ever. Heavy weights require spotters. RIP.
Mike Craven
Duncan Edward Wileman
Bloody hell thats ent good mate I see what you mean about build it up
Bravo bravo
Colin Teychenne
Yannick Quijano
una buena razón pasacar el chochomil
un calctose
Edgars Zarovs
This is not a rarity , many kids lift weights without supervision , I watch groups of school kids come into LA Fitness and through plates on weights without proper form and too much weight. Many place safety collars on barbells asking to be killed. Most end up with sore shoulders and bruises other than crushing the throat. Leave your ego at the door, lift a weight ten to twelve clean controlled reps . Once you gain experience and know your limitations you can experiment using a smith machine.
Yeah but young adults like this kid see other people doing heavy weight then they get the idea they can just do it obviously not,
Chris Green
Messy
Why he’s trying 220 is beyond me!
We see shit like that daily!
Frank Tremblay Alex Pfalzgraf Dimitri Cojocaru 225 at 15 yo… Il a couru après
Ouin, still sucks
Ye ik
Livio Drazza attenzione quando carichi
con 5 kg m alleno io 😀
❤️
very unfortunate, and i pray for the family. but this could have been prevented in more ways than one. very sad
Jarrad Frye
Sad.
I nearly joined him im Fitzroy Lawrence Lawz Walters
Very sad. 🙁 New/young lifters, if you do not have a spotter, remember to bench in a power rack with bail out bars set up at the proper height to keep the weight from dropping on your neck, or at least don’t put the collars on the barbell. That way you can slide the weight off if you get stuck. And of course, DON”T ego lift. It never ends well. Rest in peace, young man.
I see people don’t use that safety feature!
Lol
Sometimes I train on my own at night with nobody around never go to failure or do my Max on the bench press
And don’t have the collars on for heavy weight
If you don’t lift with a spotter, make sure that you have those bumpers. That really suck though.
He was “attempting” 220. Fair to then assume it’d be his new personal 1-rep record if he made it. I’d be curious to know what his previous best was, and even more so, what he could do 10 strict reps with.
A 15 yr old can’t lift that much obvious coz now his dead because of it
If that photo is of the kid in the article, you’re painfully correct, but there are some bulky teens who come close.
Utkarsh Pandey
?yr
Louis Nguyen
R.I.P Champ
workout in heaven with piana n dallas..
Kim Sällström
Johan Kruger
That extra rep is never a reason to try without a spotter. Rip kid.
Alexander Leonidas people need to watch your video on benching
Ryan Morgan this is why I don’t bench without a spot even if its 1 plate.
Danny Capps Manny Capps Roger Mosher Cameron Perkins Melanie Mosher
Rachel Archuleta
Kasper Kristensen Benjamin Lorenzen Mikkel Bro Poulsen
Maxer aldrig igen
Mange af de her ting er fake..
Kasper tror sku ikke den her er fake den har været over det hele
idk… men mange er
ja det kan jo godt være men det har ihvertfald været i ekstra bladet eller hvad det nu hedder
jaja??? det lidt crasy.. men hvem Makser alene
Kasper Kristensen tænker det samme
En 15 årig der ser en hot chick
Gigi Garrity ben shaw!
this actually made me gasp 🙁 i hope our ben shaw is safe and sound and cuddling a bottle of henny
DUDE YOU ARE FUCKING (15) 220lbs is way out of your league!!!
True ego lifting
They think they can do it but they just can’t
Yep and it cost him his life
always have a spotter when attempting any sort of PR. poor kid.
Agree dont use more than u can handle if ur liftibg without a spotter
He was watching a Ronnie Coleman’s video; only peanuts!
Serves him right and to all the pretentious lifters
Nicky Ekkebus Hobie Timmer Remco De Keijzer
Shittt ? 6nov is zowel de challenge als de spot-a-thon ??
Lift or die?
Ard-Jan Maliepaard dan zou ik maar eens wat meer gaan eten ?
Daar heb je een punt???
Ard-Jan Maliepaard just kidding, ik namelijk ook ?
Just curious about the gym rules over there I live in the UK and I remember gyms turning me away until I was 16 years of age or they’d need you to be with an adult or have special sections of the gym or times where staff monitor the youths is this not a rule over there guys?
Still a rule over here mate. Idk how he even got a gym membership
It was a PCYC gym. It’s not a commercial gym.
Whats PCYC?
David John
This is going to happen to you…. Oh wait it did! When Kelly Mitchell had to save you.
Adam Enriquez
probably used suicide grip :/ shame
Poor kid always have a spotter when using heavy weight Michael Ramirez
It’s serious Sunny Ali ! One time I was doing dumbbell flys and hit the weights together and it broke and hit me in the face! Good thing they were only 15lbs
Johannes Ludwig der war net hyped genug
haha 😀
Imran Memon
Careful
I doubt at that age he was
Able to lift that weight more like showing off ego lifting and he just had bad luck and died it pays not to pretend
Poor kid. Everyone plays with a little too much weight from time to time. Feel bad for his family.
“I KILL AND I MAKE ALIVE, I WOUND AND I HEAL. I THE LORD [JESUS] DO ALL THESE THINGS.” (DEUTERONOMY 32:39)
I wonder if The barbell fell on him or if it choked him. If it fell he May have Been using suicide grip. Rip Young man.
Fuckn kid cant lift 220 lbs thats what happens
Albert Luna
Doesnt even look like he can bench 120
Albert Luna ik
Neeko Maks benchin 205
Lol try 260
Haha damn boi gains machine
Lol where’s the truck @
Blue river took me to wisconsin to buy big injectors and t bolts
Lol he drove you yo Wisconsin ?
Yea im payin him
Lol of course you have to pay him mf won’t pay us the money he borrowed though
Lol hes driving off his debt lol
Hahaha f that mf
Ethan Halpren Viktor Kornyeyev
Poor kid!
Vincent Van de Aast
Matthew Coleman
You guys need to keep your bro science crap to obvious parody. Just the other day people were responding positively about how you should encounter near death lifting experiences. Clearly safety should always be used
Jennifer Gonzalez
Where was his spotter?
That is why competent spotters are so important. Thoughts for this young man’s family.
Or be “smart enough” to not use collars when you are working solo.
Enough common core math would tell you that. ??
Richard Gonzales
Honestly even if you have a spotter this can still happen and crush your throat. Unless your maxing out you know damn well your spotter doesn’t have his or her hands on or under that bar for each rep. They help you un rack it, take a step back and watch you go till you start to show signs of fatigue. You can lift weights your entire life and be a pro bodybuilder it still doesn’t mean accidents don’t happen. All it takes is one slip, and that’s the end of your life. Best piece of advice I can throw out here like alot of you guys already have is don’t use clamps!!! Atleast if you burn out and can’t rack the weight or whatever the case may be you can atleast let the plates slide off and save your ass.
Shit spotter then
Hes 15 he shunt of bin in a gym in the 1st place
It can go all angles here, look at my reply to Sergio Andres Viña Diaz, you’ll see what I mean
All this 24 hour gyms with no one monitoring are a recipe for this to happen and no person to walk around and help like the old days , now you have to pay for someone to give you pointers ….
Rest in peace
I always have told my buddy if I ever die lifting weights. Please put two more 45s on the bar before running for help. Devan Feighner
So that would be a total of 90 lbs then
I’ll be benching, and someone will ask if I need a spot
I say if this weight kills me, I deserve to die ?
Nick Hadri
Luigi Celeste quando uno dice che li ha facili insomma
We are blessed that Tyler is ok. Walking miracle. Thank U God
Sorry for Ben and his family.
Vever bad.not good
Looks like a freak to me
Terrible news . Rip little man . All he wanted to do was lift weights with the big boys
.. life is cruel
Ahmed Souleiman Talha Suryantoko Murtaza Zee Shab Ab Safa
now people are blaming the gym wtf ??
If you’re not sure if you can roll that weight off, use a cage with catch bars or ask someone to spot you. Doesn’t matter if it’s 80lb or 400lb, don’t think your ego will protect you
A bad case of Ego lifting and being Unsupervised. R.I.P.
Sierra Lee
Chance Rohter your worse nightmare lol
Yup hahaha
Legit what I thought was gonna happen when you chose to videotape me instead of spot xD
Sink or swim moment
My mom would kill you
Jay Dee damn
Vincent Delikat dam
Yup so young
I always bench in a squat rack with pins
Ed Cropper
Khane m namak swad anusaar
Nd gym m weight aukaad anusaar hi uthana chahiye
Always use a spotter when bench pressing heavy or use a Smith machine
I use power racks for benching. And I use it for every exersise I can.
It’s by far the safest method
I’m about to do a workout now. I’ll knock an extra rep out in his name. RIP
Branden Kaufman
Anders Beyonce
Why was he in a gym at that age unsupervised he shouldn’t have been allowed to be lifting weights at that age,bad gym management,and before any of you ego maniacs say anything get an understanding of the human anatomy and how it functions very sad for this young boy’s family sincere condolences
Refik, Ramazan, Oğuzhan, Rilind Lee’s die comments up dat verhaal eens….
Jammer
Die gast die zegt ik hoop dat het snel goed met hem gaat… wtf gewoon
No more suicide grip ?
Ik denk sowieso dat je geen gewicht moet pakken dat je niet kunt laten zakken…
Jake Sladdin
There should always be a safety-introduction at all gyms, so far I have never seen it be it in Europe or Australia when I lived there.
Ego lifting kills Ishit and Pratham be careful.
I don’t lift
Rip young man
Dan Kane
that’s what a good spotter is for and if you don’t have one use the smith Machine
Poor staff in gyms these days, they dont do shit to help their members or show new people how it works..
big respect to young legend .its tragic to hear
See this everyday! Unsupervised kids lifting more than they are capable! Accident waiting to happen! Simply senseless!!!!!
Brittany Ellen
Way to young to be lifting at that age
Biggest problem I see with people that don’t use a spotter. They put bar clips on… HUGE mistake! You want to be able to dump the weight just any unforeseen situations.
Why was he trying to bench that?? Stupid weight!
Ego lifting haha ?mind you there some nasty fail vids on line
yea I’ve seen a few nasty init! ?
Hassan Hijazi Ahmad Rabah
Ya haram
Haythem dodged a bullet ♂️ Nasir
Jesse Jensen about same size as him…should prolly tag him so he doesn’t get hurt
Not a freak accident, heard it many times.
I’ve advised many lifters over the years (decades)
NEVER EVER use clips on a bench press EVER
You get in trouble you can dump it in less than a second, use clips – you could easily kill yourself.
So sad, but this proves that ego can kill you
I don’t even Gym and I know you’re not supposed to do weights without a spotter. It’s a tragedy, but it’s pretty much on him.
Roel Salinas
Bryce Hutchinson Alex Watts
Atick Antique
Mattias Gooner Börjesson bänken blev hans död
Mmm idiot
Kid should not be lifting near that much weight to begin with. Very sad! I am triple his size and don’t need to lift over 200 to get there!! It’s a macho thing.. we should not be encouraging it
Fuck
Connor Lardelli-Newton Jason Nguyen Vo ego gives real results brah
Fuark
Sam Reps
Paul Blondo
Jerome Hicks Tron