Babatunde Plumptre died following the accident at the Better Gym in Bexleyheath
A hospital IT worker was killed when he dropped a 60kg barbell on his stomach after his gym bench collapsed, an inquest heard today.
Babatunde Plumptre, known as Tunde, suffered lacerations on his liver and spleen when the Smith machine at the Better Gym in Bexleyheath, south east London, collapsed and caused the weight to ‘crash’ into him.
He told fellow gym-users he did not need an ambulance but the 39-year-old was later found rolling on the changing room floor in agony.
Staff called medics who performed open heart surgery at 6.50am on September 6, 2017.
Mr Plumptre, from Belvedere, south east London, who worked at New Charing Cross Hospital, was rushed to A&E but pronounced dead that afternoon.
His brother and other members of his family today attended the start of a five-day jury inquest into his death at South London coroner’s court.
Mr Plumptre’s cousin and brother outside South London coroner’s court for the start of the five-day inquest today
Senior Coroner for south London Sarah Ormond-Walshe said: ‘This is a very young man, he was 39, who was involved in an incident at a gym where he was lifting some weights.
‘He was lying on a work bench with the back of it slightly up and it suddenly collapsed down and the weights came down on his upper abdomen and lower chest and unfortunately he suffered a lacerated liver and spleen and died that day despite medical treatment.’
She said the inquest will hear from the gym’s managers, Service and Repairs Solutions Ltd, a company that supplied and serviced the gym equipment and the London borough of Bexley’s health and safety department.
Medics performed open heart surgery on Mr Plumptre at the scene
She read statements from medics and three gym goers who found Mr Plumptre, originally from Lagos, Nigeria, ‘rolling around’ on the male changing room floor holding his abdomen in agony.
Smith machines have adjustable benches and hooks for resting barbell weights.
Michael Rayment said: ‘I was training on the Smith machine and the guy was on the one next to me doing bench press.
‘All of a sudden I heard a crash and looked to my left to see the bar of weights on top of him. There was probably 50 or 60kg on the bar but before I could hook my bar back on to get help he had pushed it off himself and was sitting and holding his stomach.
‘He sat there for a minute and was looking in some pain. He got up, picked his phone and a key and went to the changing room. He was there maybe five or ten minutes and someone came up to speak with him.
‘Mr Plumptre was talking to him and said the bench collapsed on him and said he didn’t need anyone to help him. About ten minutes later I went into the changing room and he was curled up on the floor.
‘One thing I can say was that the yellow supports were not used.’
Mr Plumptre’s brother Adewuyi Plumptre, pictured arriving at the inquest this morning
Gary Grant said: ‘The gentleman appeared to drop the weight bar, this drew my attention. It took the gentleman about a minute or two to get his breath and then he went into the changing room.’
He said he checked on Mr Plumptre after ten minutes and added: ‘He said the bench had collapsed and that it had crushed his ribs.
‘I asked him if he wanted me to ring anyone and he said no. I asked again and he replied no.
Mr Plumptre was found ‘rolling around’ on the male changing room floor
‘After about 15 minutes Michael went into the changing room to check on him and came out immediately to say he was in a bad way and he informed the two female staff that were working there.
‘They phoned the ambulance service right away.’
PC Ian Talletts, who was called to assist paramedics at the scene, said: ‘I was told by staff members that the casualty was in the male changing rooms.
‘Initial reports from staff indicated the male had been lifting around 60kg on a Smith machine and had dropped the bar while his arms were at full extension.
‘The viewing of the CCTV confirmed this account.’
CCTV of the incident was played to the jury.
PC Talletts said his colleagues received a call from Mr Plumptre’s direct manager at New Charing Cross Hospital after he didn’t turn up for work that morning.
London Ambulance Service paramedic John Hoddinott said he was called at 6.50am and added: ‘The patient was rolling around on the floor holding their abdomen, not talking.
‘On asking the patient where the pain was they didn’t reply and just held their abdomen. We couldn’t get any base observations as the patient was moving too much.’
Air ambulance doctor, Dr Michael Christian said he arrived after paramedics had started trying to resuscitate Mr Plumptre.
He tried open heart surgery before he was transferred to Kings College Hospital where he was pronounced dead in the critical care unit at 3.20pm that day.
Forensic pathologist Robert Chapman gave his cause of death as a haemorrhage and multiple organ failure with a secondary reason of blunt abdominal injury.
A post mortem found he had a ‘grade three laceration’ of the left lobe of his liver with an ‘almost completely division’ to it and a lacerated spleen.
Mr Plumptre’s brother Adewuyi Plumptre identified his body at the hospital mortuary on September 15.
The inquest continues.
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