The Physics of Treadmill Injuries, from anonymous
I am not a conspiracy theorist, but the official explanation behind Dave Goldberg's (Sheryl Sandberg's husband) cause of death seems improbable:
"He reportedly left his room in the resort near Nuevo Vallarta at 16:00 local time to exercise, and family members went to look for him when he failed to return.
He was found at about 18:30 in the gym, lying by a treadmill, with a blow to the lower back of his head. It was apparent he had slipped on the treadmill and hit the machine, a spokesman for the Nayarit state prosecutor said."
Can someone explain the physics of how you (a) lose your balance; (b) whack the back of your head; (c) end up "lying by a treadmill". Anyone care to bet whether there is a video camera in the gym? Access control? An autopsy report from a board-certified pathologist? Are there any other examples of severe injuries to the "lower back of the head" from a treadmill?
Until I see the data, I'm canceling my trip to Nuevo Vallarta and betting that this was a botched kidnapping (Sandberg is a facebook billionaire) and is being covered up by the hotel and local authorities to prevent a tourist exodus.
Russ Sears writes:
Treadmills are dangerous if operated at the higher speeds. What is a high speed depends on the individual working out. There are several ways to fall. In order of frequency for me:
-
Step half way off the tread.
-
Power outage due to either over heating motor, or simply power failure.
-
Pulled muscle or cramp.
-
Sudden distraction
But at hotels it's often due to improper maintenance, such as a loose tread or over heated motor.