Teen Dies While Weightlifting Alone

RICHMOND, Texas -- A teenager was killed in an accident Friday while lifting weights, reported KPRC-TV in Houston.

Fort Bend County sheriff's deputies said Cameron Michael Shaub, 16, was lifting weights alone at his home when a 240-pound barbell fell on throat.

Cameron's father found his son's lifeless 195-pound body on his weight bench.

"It's a terrible way to find your son," David Shaub said.

A preliminary autopsy showed Cameron died from asphyxiation due to compression of the larynx. He did not suffer a fractured or broken neck.

"I assume that probably the reason that he couldn't get it off was because it hit him right in the trachea and it just immediately cut off his oxygen supply," Shaub said.

Cameron played on Foster High School's varsity football team and worked out daily. Shaub said his son had been told to reduce the amount of weight he lifted while he was alone.

"It's just not worth it," Shaub said. "If you want to improve yourself, then you should be doing that with all the safeguards in place. That would be having a spotter."

Cameron's death has been a tough lesson for his teammates.

"You wish you had 50 like Cameron," coach Mark Wiatrek said. "That's the one thing I'm going to do is to preach to them, 'Guys, just understand what can happen, so be careful.'"

Shaub said he hopes to talk to Cameron's teammates about the dangers of weightlifting before football practice begins in August.