Student killed by weight machine at gym

Telegraph

26-03-2025

A medical student was killed when the bar of a gym weight machine struck his head, an inquest heard.
Mohammed Farraj, 21, had been using an exercise step to perform calf raises with a Smith machine at the University of East Anglia in Norwich on Oct 16 2024.
Det Sgt Robert Waring said a Smith machine was a 'horizontal barbell which runs vertically up and down on rails'. The step was not part of the machine.
He said the incident at the Sportspark gym was captured on CCTV.
'It's clear from watching the footage that this was a tragic accident,' he said.
He said the plastic step Farraj was using was 'seen to tip towards him'. He said the bar then 'drops' and 'forces his neck to the ground'.
Set of adjustable stops
Det Sgt Waring said a safety feature on the machine was a set of adjustable stops which 'should be set to the highest position possible' to stop the weight bar.
He said they had been 'left in the very lowest position'.
The plastic step was 'intended for a different purpose' and a weight plate could have been used instead, he added.
Witness Dr Trey Koev, a research scientist at UEA, said: 'I saw him slip onto the platform. The bar carrying the weight came down.'
He said Mr Farraj 'struggled to his feet very rapidly then tumbled, then both my gym partner and I rushed to him as we were the closest to him'.
Dr Koev said there had been red-coloured weights on either end of the bar indicating 25kg each and the bar weighed approximately 15kg, a total weight of 65kg.
Dr Damian Laba, Dr Koev's gym partner, said he was using the bench press when he heard a bang, 'stood up and turned round and saw Mohammed collapsing on the floor'.
Dr Laba, a consultant anaesthetist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, said: 'I realised this is potentially a life-threatening injury and I shouted for help.'
Warning not on machine
He added that he tried CPR but Mr Farraj died at the scene.
Benjamin Price, head of sports operations at UEA Sportspark, said: 'It appears Mohammed followed another person who had been using that equipment.
'It appears they had put the stops at the lowest level.'
A warning about the stops had not been on the Smith machine at the time but was now in place, Mr Price said.
Hashim Farraj, the victim's father. said his son was a devout Muslim and 'loved life'.
He grew up at the family home in Stoke-on-Trent, was part of a boxing club and 'took his fitness and his health very seriously. He liked to go to the gym and would run 10k in the morning on a regular basis,' he said.
Norfolk assistant coroner Johanna Thompson concluded that Mr Farraj's death was an accident. She extended her condolences to his family and friends.