Man dies after reclining movie theater seat closes on his head
A man in Birmingham, England, died after he reportedly got his head trapped in a reclining movie theater seat while searching the floor for his cellphone.
The victim, whose identity has not yet been made public, was watching a movie at Vue Cinema in Birmingham's StarCity complex on March 9 when he dropped his phone between two of the theater's luxury "Gold Class" reclining seats, according to the Birmingham Mail.
When the man bent down to retrieve his phone, his reclining seat's electric footrest reportedly clamped down on his head, trapping him beneath it.
Frantic moviegoers attempting to rescue the man eventually broke the footrest to free him, but the stress of the incident sent the man into cardiac arrest.
West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed that it brought the patient to a Birmingham hospital in "serious condition." Although responders managed to restart the man's heart, he tragically died of his injuries one week later.
A spokeswoman for Vue International confirmed the man's death in a statement.
"Following an incident which took place on Friday 9 March at our Birmingham cinema, we can confirm that a customer was taken to the hospital that evening," she said. "We are saddened to learn that he passed away on Friday, March 16. A full investigation into the nature of the incident is ongoing. Our thoughts and condolences are with the family who have our full support and assistance."
