Young weightlifter dies after 315lb barbell drops onto his neck

A 22-year-old weightlifter has died after a barbell slipped from his grasp and crushed his neck at a gym in central Iowa.

The accident occurred on Monday morning at Elite Edge Transformation Centre in Ankeny, about 10 miles north of Des Moines.

A spokesman for the gym, Mark Yontz, said Kyle Thomson was bench-pressing 315lbs (142kg) when the barbell slipped.

Ankeny Fire Chief James Clack said the barbell fell on Mr Thomson's neck. An ambulance took him to a Des Moines hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mr Yontz said there were spotters watching Mr Thomson on the bench.

Iowa State University spokeswoman Annette Hacker said Mr Thomson was a student there and lived in Pleasant Hill.