Mother-of-two is left with an £11,000 dentist bill

Gemma McKay, 32, from Aigburth in Liverpool, was using The Gym in the Liverpool ONE shopping centre when she said the iron bar hit her face, cutting her lip open and leaving her in agony

A mother-of-two has been left with an £11,000 dentist bill after a gym machine’s iron bar snapped back and smashed out her two front teeth.

Gemma McKay, 32, from Aigburth in Liverpool, was using The Gym in the Liverpool ONE shopping centre when she said the iron bar hit her face, cutting her lip open and leaving her in agony.

She said she was using the lateral pull-down machine and went to stand up and release the iron bar when it ‘catapulted off the machine and flew into the air’ before hitting her mouth.

The Gym Group said their insurance company investigated the claims but declined to pay out.

Ms McKay, a regular gym user until the accident, said her ‘face exploded’ and she was left with a badly cut lip after the iron bar smashed into her face.

She said: ‘The pain went through my head…the full impact had gone on my teeth. I got to the hospital and the cut was directly down the cupid’s bow.

‘They had to get a plastic surgeon to stitch it up otherwise it would be misaligned. They said, ‘you’re a young girl, we want to do it properly’ and he did the best job possible but I’ve still been left with my lips lopsided. If I wear lipstick you can see it.’

As well as the scar Ms McKay was also left facing a hefty bill for specialist dental treatment which she said amounted to £11,000.

She said X-rays showed she had been left with an infection in the bone meaning she needed root canal treatment.

She had to wear false teeth for five months and needs a bone graft to create something for a dental implant to attach to.

As well as the scar Ms McKay was also left facing a hefty bill for specialist dental treatment which she said amounted to £11,000

As well as the scar Ms McKay was also left facing a hefty bill for specialist dental treatment which she said amounted to £11,000

‘It’s because of the infection’, she said. ‘I’ve had two kids but the pain I was in compares with birth pain.’

Ms McKay is now pursuing a personal injury claim.

The Gym Group confirmed it is aware of an incident at its Liverpool gym in August 2015.

A spokesperson said: ‘The member concerned reported an accident involving the lateral pull-down machine. After a thorough investigation by The Gym Group’s insurance company the claim made by the member was declined.’ 

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