Brisbane Teen Ben Shaw Dies In Hospital Days After Tragic Gym Accident

15-year-old Brisbane boy Ben Shaw has died in hospital, days after he was found trapped under exercise equipment at a Pine Rivers gym, while attempting to lift more than his body weight.

The teenager was found by a member of the public at Pine Rivers PCYC, pinned to a bench after attempting to press approximately 100kgs. It was not immediately clear how long he had been trapped.

First aid was administered on the scene and Shaw was rushed to Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in serious condition, but tragically, he passed away yesterday afternoon.

Tributes for the teen have flowed on social media throughout the morning, with friends and family mourning the his loss. “You were my best friend and you will be missed so much,” wrote one.

Shaw was a member of the Pine Central Holy Spirit Hornets rugby league club, and earlier today, club president Sharon Hickey told media that his organs and tissue will be donated.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Sharon Hickey, the president of the Pine Central Holy Spirit Hornets rugby league club, said Ben’s organs and tissue would be donated to help others.

She wrote:

On behalf of Pine Central Holy Spirit Rlfc I would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the Shaw family. Yesterday afternoon they lost their beautiful Ben and [he] has been able to leave a legacy by donating his tissue and organs to enable recipients have their lives saved and changed forever as a result. As a club we will be assisting to see the world through Ben’s eyes and ensure his legacy lives on in support of his parents and family.

Per Seven News reports, a fellow patron discovered discovered the teen when he arrived for a workout.

An anonymous woman said that her husband arrived at the gym when it was “quiet” and noticed Shaw “just lying on the bench with a bar right across his neck.”

The woman said that her husband “immediately rushed over”, then “grabbed the bar off his neck and yelled for help.”

There will be a Workplace Health and Safety investigation into the circumstances leading up to Ben Shaw’s accident, and CCTV footage will be closely examined.

PCYC chief executive Phil Schultz has pledged cooperation with the investigation, saying: “This is a terrible incident and everyone here at PCYC Qld has been impacted by it.”

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