In addition to practicing the Heimlich Manoeuvre, we hear about some of the terrible accidents that have happened in fitness facilities. There are stories of people choking on chewing gum during aerobic classes. There is also the case of the woman who tore part of her scalp after her long hair got tangled in the weight stack of a resistance machine. Other people have hurt themselves by accidentally dropping a weighted bar on their throat, while bench pressing in the supine position. These are not urban myths.
Bad things can happen at the gym.
Fortunately, I've not witnessed any serious mishaps. But, I've observed some close calls. I was once in a step class, where one of the participants caught her foot under the step and toppled face first over the bench. More recently, I saw a treadmill runner lose her footing off the end of the moving belt when she took an extra long stride. Luckily, she was able to grab onto the side railing before she fell flat on her face.