A man is fighting for life in hospital after being crushed by a barbell at a Brisbane gym.
The man, who paramedics say is about 30 years old, was working out at Snap Fitness in Spring Hill when a barbell fell on him.
Paramedics were called at 5:47am.
"His injuries were very severe, so we dispatched two crews including a critical care paramedic," QAS clinical director Lachlan Parker said.
"It's a little bit unknown exactly what happened but it does appear he has been struck by a weight … causing his head and chest to suffer significant injuries."
He is in critical condition.
Mr Parker said bystanders rushed to help the man, calling triple-0 and performing first aid with the help of the operators.
"His injuries were so severe that when we arrived on scene that cardio-pulmonary resuscitation was being performed by bystanders," he said.
Paramedics resuscitated and anaesthetised the man before taking him to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.
"We want to just pass on our regards to the patient and his family and hope everything goes well and compliment the bystanders on scene that aided the paramedics significantly," Mr Parker said.
"In a perfect environment we should always be with people when we're in the gyms … and in case you're in a gym when something happens to someone else, you should make sure you understand where the defibrillators are, how to call triple-0 and provide any assistance [needed]."
Snap Fitness said the Spring Hill team was saddened to hear about the man's condition.
"We take our duty of care responsibilities very seriously and have provided the members who witnessed and assisted with the incident access to counselling services and support," the company said in a statement.
Workplace Health and Safety Queensland inspectors were on site this morning and investigations are continuing.
