16 year old dies benching: GET A SPOTTER!

[RobRegish]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/04...est=latestnews


High School Student Dies Lifting Weights

Published December 04, 2010

16-year-old Jake Pezon was found dead under a bench press at home in Wisconsin on December 1, 2010.
A Wisconsin high school football player has died in an accident while lifting weights at home.

Slinger police say 16-year-old Jake Pezon was home alone in his basement rec room Wednesday night and was bench pressing 185 pounds when the weights dropped on him.

Police Lt. Joel Schodron says Pezon's mother arrived home shortly after midnight Thursday and found her son unresponsive. Schodron says the teen was dead by the time first responders arrived.

Pezon was a junior at Slinger High School and played wide receiver and defensive back for the Owls. School District administrator Bob Reynolds says counselors are available Friday at the high school.

[Hank!]

Tragic incident. This really highlights the caution we should all observe while lifting, its easy to forget how dangerous this hobby/sport/lifestyle can be.

[RyannayR]

That's terrible .

[RobRegish]

I know I harp on it but.... this is why.

HEALTH/SAFETY FIRST!!

[jimmyk21]

scary, im in WI

[RobRegish]

Yeah, too many guys I see on here don't have a spotter.

I implore you... get one! Even if it's a gym wingnut, it's better than nothing!

[JlCh]

Uhhh? Why would you just sit there with the weight on you?

*rolls the barbell down*

Not that you shouldn't not have one, but honestly surprises me that someone dies like that.

[the_buffer]

He probably loaded up way too much and his arms just collapsed. We could ask his spotter what happened but...

[TURBOFLEX]

you should ALWAYS use a spotter, but.."and I'm not suggesting this as an alternative".. if you dont have one, atleast dont put the safety clips on, that way you can dump it if need be.. that is in noway a full prove backup plan, but atleast you have a chance...again PLEASE dont bench without a spotter!!.. I am very sorry to have heard about this tragic accident, unnecessary things like this happen all to often, when they could have been easily avoided..

[Hank!]

I use a suicide grip and maybe a year ago I was warming up with 185 on the bar. I adjusted my left hand and I dropped the bar , scared the piss out of me and kinda hurt too. Since then when alone I am benching in the power rack or the squat rack.

[RobRegish]

I bench in the rack, ALWAYS...

[TURBOFLEX]

I bench in the rack, ALWAYS...

Yeah all my benches have safety features that act the same as being in a squat rack..theres no way to get pinned under it, it's adjustable, you just set it to whwere you can still come down to your chest, but if you dont have a spotter and cant get it..you can roll it up to your neck and slide out..I'm REALLY glad they have that feature since it's a 24hr gym and theres not always somethere to spot ya

[ckeahey76]

I try to always have a spotter with me and I always do what I think that I can do. Meaning, I don't try and put more weight on than I can handle trying to show off. I was watching 1000 ways to die and saw a weight lifter try to lift a steel beam and have it fall on his head, he had no spotter as well. So, always have a spotter and try to keep the weight to what you can do.

Sorry to hear about someone so young losing their life. It truely is a tragedy.

[islandboy90]

too bad no one I know works out so I dont have a spotter,
same thing happened to me today I guess I was pushing too hard..
fortunatly for me the weight was on my chest and I could just roll it down
i've learned my lesson