Gym-goer dies six days after hospitalization

A 41-year-old man died six days after a weightlifting accident, where a barbell hit his chest when he fell unconscious.

The man, Wong, an occupational therapist, got vaccinated early April, but it had nothing to do with his hospitalization, North District Hospital said.

He passed away at North District Hospital past noon last Sunday. (May 2)

Last Tuesday morning, (April 27) Wong collapsed near a weight training machine and was pinned down by a 30-kilogram barbell in fitness center “24/7 Fitness” in Tin Ping Shopping Center, Sheung Shui.

Three minutes later -- at 6.30 am, a staff monitoring the center’s CCTV footage found the unconscious Wong and called for an ambulance.

North District Hospital said Wong’s hospitalization was not correlated to his vaccination in early April, adding that he had been treated in the intensive care unit following the accident.

“Conditions of the patient kept deteriorating, and he was certified dead on Sunday afternoon,” the hospital said.

The hospital also said the case had been followed up by a coroner.

Sources said Wong had received a shot of BioNTech/Foshun vaccine.

Associate professor at Baptist University’s Department of Sport and Physical Education Lobo Louie Hung-tak said weightlifting was not a risky exercise, but using improper breathing techniques during the exercise would cause dangers.

Louie said when one was holding his breath while exercising, a condition called “Valsalva’s maneuver” might emerge -- which saw symptoms such as temporary dizziness, headache, palpitation and faint occur due to the lack of oxygen entering the body.

International Professional Insurance Consulting Association Paul Law Siu-hung said typical premises had bought liability insurance, allowing petitioners to claim compensations after accidents happen.

“For premises such as fitness centers, parking lots, laundromats and malls, their persons-in-charge are responsible for providing a safe space to users, including offering guidance on how to use the facilities there and maintain the premises' hygiene,” he said.

Law said holding who should be held accountable after accidents happened was difficult, especially when users entered premises without the supervision of on-duty staff. 

“But the supervision systems of a premise -- as to whether they are sufficient, can still be looked into,” he said.

“Once users find loopholes in the premise, they can claim compensations.”

He also said victims or their family members could propose an amount of the compensation with respect to the victims’ age and income.