Veteran weightlifter dies after 60kg bar falls on his neck during bench press

A veteran weightlifter has died in a freak accident after an at-home workout went terribly wrong.

Carl Hughes, 61, was found dead in his Rhos Road, Rhos-on-Sea apartment after his neighbour, Gill Embleton, decided to check on him, BBC News reports.

The neighbour grew suspicious after the weightlifter didn’t collect his newspaper.

To his horror, Gill discovered Hughes dead underneath his 60kg metal bar.

An inquest opening heard that the veteran weightlifter was exercising alone in his apartment complex when he became trapped while lying on his weights bench with the barbell wrapped around his neck.

The Daily Mail reported that pathologist Dr Zain Mehdi said the provisional cause of death was asphyxia secondary to neck compression by a bar.

The senior coroner adjourned the hearing in Ruthin to a date to be fixed.

Samples of the late athlete’s blood have been sent off for toxicology tests to confirm if there were any substances in his body at the time.

Neighbour Albert Kirk said that he was shocked to hear the devastating news.

“I had been away on holiday when it happened. I heard he was found at home,” he said, the outlet reports.

“I only knew him to say hello to when I would see him going out of his flat or coming back in. He kept himself to himself.”

Earlier this year, bodybuilder and fitness influencer Justyn Vicky also made headlines after pumping iron led to a fatal accident.

The 33-year-old was strength training at The Paradise Bali gym in Sanur in July when he attempted to squat-press 210kg (460lb).

Vicky ended up with a broken neck and critical compression of vital nerves connecting to his heart and lungs.

The weightlifter was immediately rushed to a local hospital, where surgeons performed emergency surgery.

But despite doctors’ best efforts, the fitness influencer was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Gede Sutarya, a close friend of Vicky, said he always warned other gym enthusiasts to be ‘cautious’ when training at the gym.

"Vicky was a good person, polite, and sociable. He always shared knowledge about the gym. He also advised friends at the gym to be cautious and not exceed their capabilities during training,” he said.

"Only we ourselves can measure our own abilities. May Mas Vicky rest peacefully in the embrace of God and find a worthy place."