Video of Smith Machine Squat Death Goes Viral

A video of a woman’s death while doing a Smith machine squat at a gym in Mexico has gone viral. The video shows the moment a barbell came down on her neck, killing her.

You can watch the video below, but be aware that it’s graphic. The video was trending on Google on March 17, and it was also shared on Twitter and Reddit.

The Mirror reported that the video was filmed in the Peralvillo neighborhood of Mexico City. The woman remains unidentified, but The Mirror said she “was reportedly between 35 and 40 years old.” That site reported that the nearly 400 pound barbell “fell on her, crushing her neck onto the bench and killing her on the spot.”

The Mirror reported that the incident occurred in front of the woman’s daughter, who was watching her exercise.

You can see the video here without any narration.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Woman Was Lifting Almost 400 Pounds

According to HITC.com, the video shows a woman in Mexico “lifting 180kg,” which is about 397 pounds.

She tries to squat but collapses instead, with the heavy barbell falling on top of her neck and killing her.

The video started going viral in late February 2022, when an Instagram page called USACrime posted it. More than 500,000 people viewed the video via that page, which wrote:
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WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT / Video shared for information, transparency and awareness. Viewer discretion is advised.
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MEXICO — A woman was crushed to death after she tried squatting 400 pounds inside a gym in Mexico.
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The woman reportedly tried to lift the nearly 400 pound barbell in front of her daughter at Gym Fitness Sport gymnasium in Peralvillo on Monday.
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Video of the incident shows the woman attempting to squat the barbell on a Smith machine inside the gym in Mexico. But the barbell appears to be too heavy and falls on her, crushing her neck against a bench below and killing her on the spot.
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Nearby gym-goers eventually come to the woman’s aid and lift the barbell, with the woman then slumping lifeless on the floor, the footage shows.
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An investigation is ongoing.

A Smith machine is a type of weight machine that includes a barbell attached to a squat rack so it can only move vertically. Barbend.com published reviews of some Smith machines, writing, “Smith machines are a familiar sight in gyms around the world, both in a commercial setting and in home gyms. And that’s for a good reason. This time tested piece of equipment can be used for a wide range of purposes, from designing entire body workouts, to acting as a spotter when you plan to lift alone.”

The woman’s death is not the first attributed to a Smith machine accident. In May 2021, Dimsum Daily reported that a 41-year-old man collapsed while using a Smith machine at a Hong Kong 24/7 Fitness gym and the barbell fell on the victim, who was “crushed into a coma.” He died in the hospital six days later, the outlet reported.

The Video Horrified People on Twitter

People reacted on Twitter. “you will never catch me on a smith machine because of that video of the lady… never ever,” wrote one person.

“The video of the lady in Mexico getting crushed to death by the smith machine will forever haunt me,” wrote another.

However, it’s also easy to find online reviews and other videos on social media of people praising the Smith machine.

“I really love these smith machine deficit split squats,” wrote one woman. “Look at how much extra depth you can get with that knee With the chest hinged forward, that’s going to target a lot more glute! And those quads will be on fire.”

In a guide to the Smith machine, RunnersWorld noted that “the machine also has some elements that increase the safety of some exercises,” including “locking mechanisms” that eliminate the need for a spotter so users can weightlift alone.

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