Aspiring physician, 21, died when 65kg bar fell on high of him in freak accident at college gymnasium

A medical student died in a university gym after a bar weighing 65kgs fell on top of him when he slipped while incorrectly using weight-lifting equipment, an inquest heard today.

Norfolk Coroner’s Court heard how fitness fan Mohammed Farraj, 21, had failed to set the correct position for locking brakes on guide rails on a Smith Machine while doing a calf raising exercise.

Other gym users and staff rushed to help him and tried to resuscitate him after he was knocked to the floor by the falling bar and left with a fatal head injury.

Paramedics took over attempts to revive him when they arrived and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

An inquest heard that Mr Farraj from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, died from traumatic head injuries after the accident on the evening of October 16 at the University of East Anglia’s Sportspark gym in Norwich

The inquest was told how the machine, which was only two-years-old, did not have labels warning of the importance of fitting the brakes in the right position for different exercises.

Mr Farraj, who was given a 15 minute fast track induction when he joined the gym in October 2022, was not given specific instructions on how to correctly use the Axiom brand of Smith Machine made by Life Fitness.

The inquest heard how the machine could be used for a variety of exercises with guide rails for a weights bar to go up and down, and brakes which could be placed in different positions to stop it falling on a user.

The brakes were set at the lowest point by the previous user of the Smith Machine who was doing a hip thrust exercise with his upper back on a bench, and CCTV showed that Mr Farraj did not alter them when he started his exercise.

He should have put the locking brakes into a higher position as he was standing up for his exercise, but his failure to do so meant there was nothing to stop the 65kgs weight from falling and hitting him when he dropped it after stumbling and losing his grip.

The inquest was told Mr Farraj had placed a 25kgs weight on each side of the 15kg bar for the calf raising exercise.

He was also said to have been using a ten inch high Reebok aerobic stepper as a platform to stand on, despite it being inappropriate for the exercise as it lacked stability.

The inquest heard how the stepper tipped towards him while he was standing on the edge lowering the balls of his feet up and down, causing him to fall, and the weight bar to plunge down on him.

Detective Sergeant Robert Waring of Norfolk Police said in a statement read to the inquest that the Smith Machine had guide rails to prevent the weights bar ‘moving backwards and forwards’.

He added that the adjustable locks had been left in the lowest possible position, and Mr Farraj had been using a ten inch high platform designed for step aerobics to stand on when he only needed to stand on a block which was around two inches high.

Det Sgt Waring said the CCTV showed Mr Farraj loading the weights on the Smith Machine and losing his balance when the plastic stepper box tipped toward him, and the weights bar hit him.

The officer said there was no evidence of third party involvement or a failure in the equipment, saying that it occurred due to the Smith Machine being used ‘incorrectly’.

Det Sgt Waring said no fault was found in the gym and noted there were ‘better options’ than using the Reebok stepper as a platform for the exercise.

He added: ‘it is clear from watching the CCTV that this was a tragic accident and there was nothing to suggest it was caused by a medical episode, but rather by slipping on the block that he was using.’

Health and Safety Executive inspector Natalie Prince who investigated the death, said in her initial report which was read to the inquest that Mr Farraj slipped on the step causing the weight bar to ‘fall on the back of his neck’.

Trey Todar Coeve, a research scientist at the university, told the inquest how he was just 6ft away from the Mr Farraj when he saw the accident in the corner of his eye while he was standing up waiting his turn to use a chest press.

He said: ‘Mohammed was using the Smith Machine with a stepping platform and 25kgs of weight on each side to do calf raises.

‘All of a sudden, I saw him slip on the platform. He came down and the bar carrying the weight came over him. He staggered very rapidly and immediately stumbled. My gym partner and I rushed to him as we were closest.’

Mr Coeve’s friend Damian Laba, a consultant anaesthetist at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital who was working out with him, described the Smith Machine as a ‘popular piece of equipment’.

He said he heard a loud noise while on the bench press and turned round to see Mohammed collapsing on the floor.

Dr Laba said he rushed over to help, saying: ‘Mohammed was unconscious and profoundly bleeding from his mouth.’

He attempted CPR on him but he ‘recognised that his airways were compromised by the amount of blood’ and put him in the recovery position to try and keep his airway open.

Alastair Baggiony-Taylor, a senior fitness adviser at the gym, said he would tell gym users about the safety locks on the Smith Machine, but he added that people had a tendency not to change them for different exercises.

His colleague Che Snelling, a fitness adviser at the gym, said he had sometimes advised users to put the locks higher for specific exercises to avoid the bar hitting them if it fell.

But he added that it was often difficult to see how the position of the brakes on the Smith Machine when he was doing his rounds of the gym every 20 minutes while on duty.

The inquest heard that Mr Farraj had probably decided to use the aerobic stepper for his calf exercise as it was stored close to the Smith Machine.

Mr Farraj’s father Hashim Farraj, who was watching the hearing via a video link, questioned why the stepper was kept nearby when it was not suitable to be used.

Mr Snelling replied that it had been placed where it was because it was ‘in a corner without much footfall’.

He confirmed that steppers were no longer used in the gym, and that Smith Machine users instead had ‘a bespoke step’ which was ‘more geared for calf raises’ by providing ‘more grip and less chance for sway’.

Ben Price, head of sports operations at the Sportspark, confirmed that the Smith Machine and other equipment was installed in 2022 and would have arrived with warning labels about fixing the adjustable brakes correctly.

But he said that the labels had not been fitted on the machine and their absence had not been picked up by the supplier during inspections as part of a five year maintenance contract.

Mr Farraj’s father Hashim Farraj, 57, described him in a statement which was read to the inquest as ‘a great man of extraordinary intelligence’ and ‘a kind person who had a drive to help others’ and had a dream of specialising in neuro-surgery.

He added: ‘He was a happy and healthy young man with no previous medical history when he died. He had a bright future ahead of him.’

Mr Farraj said he last spoke to his son on the phone just hours before his death and he was ‘absolutely fine’.

He added: ‘When faced with difficulty, he overcame it with great skill and determination.

‘He took his fitness and his health very seriously. He liked to go the gym. He ran 10km regularly and was training for an Iron Man triathlon.’

Mr Farraj added that his son had learned eight different languages, and was nicknamed ‘Millionaire’ at school as he had read a million words in books.

Norfolk Assistant Coroner Johanna Thompson recorded an accident conclusion and passed condolences to Mr Farraj’s family and friends.