Photo of Ronald Montenegro bench pressing weight
Screengrab

A 55-year-old father of 2 died in a freak accident at a gym when heavy barbells slipped and crushed his chest.

CCTV video footage shows Ronald José Salvador Montenegro bench pressing about 105 pounds at RW Academia gym in Brazil on Monday, December 1.

Montenegro used the so-called “suicide grip” – not wrapping his thumbs around the bar when he lifted.

As he lifted the weight, the bar slipped from his hands and the heavy weight crushed his chest.

In agony, Montenegro managed to push the weight off of him and stand up. He took one step forward before collapsing on the floor.

The museum manager was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. No cause of death has been reported.

It’s likely that Montenegro died from cardiac arrest. Death occurs after the normal heartbeat is disrupted by a heavy blow to the chest.

Montenegro’s relative blamed the gym for not providing a spotter for him. The relative told Brazilian media Montenegro trained regularly to stay fit.

“This is a workout that requires a trainer,” the family member said.

“In the video, you can see that he is fine, that he even does a session, warms up his arms to do it again, and when he sits down, he can’t do it and the bar slips.

“What we want is for gyms to look at the issue of prevention in relation to this equipment. Trainers cannot let students do it on their own, even if they know how to do the movement.”

CAUTION: The video below contains scenes that may be disturbing to some viewers.