Tragedy: Freak Accident at Gym Sends 22-Year-Old Woman to Her Death
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
A gym workout turned into an unthinkable tragedy after a woman fell on a treadmill and was flung to her death out of a third-story window.
The incident happened at a gym in Pontianak, Indonesia, on June 18, and the harrowing moments were caught by a security camera pointing at the treadmill.
The 22-year-old woman — whom the Pontianak Tribune reported was being identified only by her initials, “FN” — did not survive the fall.
The video clip started with people working out in a busy gym. At a bank of treadmills, a walking woman appeared to slow down to a stop.
The treadmill kept moving, however, throwing the woman off the back of the equipment.
The woman stumbled and then fell backward out of an open window positioned directly behind the treadmill.
Witnesses saw the woman on the tiled terrace three floors below the gym, prone and bloodied.
The video quickly spread throughout Indonesia and the world, racking up millions of views.
WARNING: Some viewers might find the following video disturbing.
Detik -detik seorang Perempuan meninggal usai terjatuh dari treadmill dan terpental keluar dari jendela yang ada di lantai 3 tempat Gym. (18/6/2024)
📍Pontianak pic.twitter.com/blTEfUvSZy
— Miss Tweet | (@Heraloebss) June 18, 2024
An ongoing investigation has revealed troubling details, including the fact that the gym’s treadmill setup appeared to be inherently dangerous.
“This position makes it very easy for people to fall,” Pontianak Police Commissioner Antonius Trias Kuncorojati told the Tribune, “especially when treadmills are used by people who use a lot of force, when they are dehydrated, tired, etc., which can cause them to lose consciousness.”
The open window was positioned less than a foot above the gym floor.
“Then the distance between the wall and the window is only 30 cm,” Kuncorojati said, “it is very easy for someone to fall from the treadmill and then fall down.”
The investigation was ongoing, according to the Tribune.
Indonesian authorities named a number of people they planned to interview, including witnesses, the gym’s owner and the person responsible for opening the window.
Disturbingly, it appears there was a similar incident in the past involving the same gym, according to police.
“We will check the permits, and various further things, because based on information, there has been an incident before,” Kuncorojati said, “but the position of the treadmill was not changed, which was facing away from the window, which in fact was dangerous.”
Now that a woman’s death is making headlines around the globe, the gym may be forced to address its role in the tragedy.
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