Boy killed by smith machine

**bigDman** · 11-22-2005, 01:24 AM

O.C. Boy Is Killed by 185-Pound Barbell
Relatives find the 12-year-old pinned under the equipment, his air supply cut off.

By Susana Enriquez, Times Staff Writer

Elijah Brown wanted to be a pro football player, so the 12-year-old would lift weights every so often to bulk up his 5-foot-3, 130-pound body.

On Thursday, after playing catch with his grandfather and uncle, Elijah went into the garage of his Huntington Beach home to lift about 5 p.m. When the men checked on him 10 minutes later, they found Elijah with a 185-pound barbell pinning him to the bench, police said.

The men lifted the weight from the boy and performed CPR until paramedics came, but Elijah died at Huntington Beach Hospital at 5:41 p.m. The barbell had cut off his air supply, the coroner said.

"This wasn't supposed to happen to him," said Thomas Brown, Elijah's father, his eyes welling up with tears as he stood outside a neighbor's house. "He had a really bright future ahead of him."

Brown, who said he allowed Elijah to lift weights periodically, said his son mostly used dumbbells or the 45-pound barbell, without adding weight to it.

The Smith Machine that Elijah used has a mechanism that keeps the bar balanced between two metal poles with a safety latch that can be engaged at different heights.

"He knew how to do it by himself," Brown said, adding that he had stressed the importance of having a spotter in case he couldn't handle the weight. "It was a freak accident."

The father, 32, described Elijah as a fun-loving boy and straight-A student who was active in sports and at church.

He had studied karate since he was 3 and earned his brown belt a couple of months ago, he said.

Elijah had also played football with the Huntington Beach Dolphins, an Orange County junior all-American football team, since the age of 6, Brown said.

"His dream was to go on to play professional football and play for the Denver Broncos," Brown said.

Elijah wore the number 33 on his football jersey, the number of his favorite player, retired Bronco running back Terrell Davis.

"There's no one he wanted to be more like than his father and Terrell Davis," said Dallas Kruse, the family's pastor, who was also Elijah's private running coach.

The seventh-grader at Bethany Christian Academy in Westminster had just received an award Tuesday for excellence in math, his father said.

Elijah also enjoyed fishing, snowboarding and playing his keyboard and drums.

On Friday, family and friends gathered at the Browns' single-story house at the end of a cul-de-sac. They prayed and kept a vigil, Kruse said.

"Elijah was just an amazing child," he said, adding that he hoped the accident would teach other kids to be careful with weights.

Elijah is also survived by his mother, Lisanne, 38, 7-year-old sister and 21-year-old stepsister.

dnyc99 · 11-22-2005, 01:59 AM

OMG..that is so sad and tragic.

My heart goes out to the family. *sigh*

chlaxman · 11-22-2005, 03:47 AM

That's really sad.

**DarkFalcon** · 11-22-2005, 06:10 AM

Crappy deal. What a waste of a young life.

datruodb · 11-22-2005, 02:35 PM

geez! Thats a really bad deal! Makes me reflect on my younger years of lifting!

**bubba g** · 11-22-2005, 03:22 PM

That sucks... His parents must be devistated....

**powerman2000** · 11-22-2005, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bubba g

That sucks... His parents must be devistated....

^^^ Exactly

**NNTB** · 11-22-2005, 07:00 PM

damn...

**Peaked_18** · 11-23-2005, 08:32 PM

This is why I don't recommend the smith machine.

**DarkFalcon** · 11-23-2005, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peaked_18

This is why I don't recommend the smith machine.

I'm not a fan myself. It eliminates most of the stabilizer work which to me is useless.

datruodb · 11-23-2005, 09:09 PM

but it allows you to use more weight!

~~2Ripped4U~~ · 11-26-2005, 10:58 PM

I was reading this on Dorian Yates' website:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dorian's site

500 pounds!
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 8:54 AM
Subject: Form Submissionname: Andrew Bussey
location: Chorley, Lancashire
Question: Hi Dorian,
I am 25 years old and live in Lancashire in England. I have been training for about ten years now and five years ago started using the HIT training principles after reading about you and your bodybuilding success. About three months ago I was squatting around 500 pounds on a Smith machine, without a spotter. I know, it was really stupid.
I was on my last rep and failed to complete the squat, so I attempted to hook the bar back onto the frame. Unfortunately I was too low and the weight
proceeded to crush me to the floor. I blacked out, but quickly came around after some guys at the gym had lifted the weight off me. I was convinced I had broken my back, but a trip to the hospital showed I had damaged my lower
back muscles and had a disc bulge. I would urge anyone reading this to be careful when squatting on the Smith machine, stick to free weights, if you get stuck you can always let the weight drop behind you. I was in serious pain for about two weeks and had shooting pains in my legs,
but returned to the gym exactly one month after the accident. Reading about the injuries you sustained during training, and how you picked yourself up, dusted yourself down and got back in the gym really motivated me. The fact
that you went on to win the greatest accolade in bodybuilding after such injuries is a testement to your character and determination. I have not been put off using HIT training as I feel I couldn't train any other way. Your experiences really motivated me to get back to the gym, and
I am now back to full strength. Thankyou for the inspiration, and for cementing England in Olympia history.
Many Thanks... Andrew Bussey.

**Trick D** · 11-27-2005, 12:12 AM

That is sad, and if he did use free weights it could have been avoided...

Very sad.

11-22-2005, 01:59 AM	#2
dnyc99 IMPC Contestant Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 4,025 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 184	OMG..that is so sad and tragic. My heart goes out to the family. sigh __________________

11-22-2005, 03:47 AM	#3
chlaxman Pro Stature Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Maine baby Posts: 560 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 9	That's really sad. __________________ Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis. :weight_li :dumbells: :bed2: :friday:

11-22-2005, 02:35 PM	#5
datruodb Pro Stature Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Tulsa, Ok Posts: 326 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 7	geez! Thats a really bad deal! Makes me reflect on my younger years of lifting! __________________ Vanilla Gorilla

11-22-2005, 07:00 PM	#8
NNTB rEVOLutionary Join Date: May 2005 Location: FL Posts: 2,447 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 163	damn... __________________ "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it." Abraham Lincoln

11-23-2005, 09:09 PM	#11
datruodb Pro Stature Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Tulsa, Ok Posts: 326 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 7	but it allows you to use more weight! __________________ Vanilla Gorilla

11-22-2005, 06:10 AM	#4
DarkFalcon I've got a RAGING clue! Join Date: May 2005 Location: dnyc99's cleaning staff Posts: 11,511 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 299	Crappy deal. What a waste of a young life.

11-22-2005, 03:22 PM	#6
bubba g Moderator Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 2,949 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 177	That sucks... His parents must be devistated....

11-23-2005, 08:32 PM	#9
Peaked_18 a la commode Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 4,247 Recipes: 2 Rep Power: 96	This is why I don't recommend the smith machine.

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