A woman who was attending a ‘spin’ class at a gym in Barnstaple in Devon has won compensation after she was thrown from the exercise bike she was using.

A spin class is a group workout on exercise bikes in which instructors guide the participants through various workout phases. Charlotte Brown was a regular at the class. As she was using the equipment, the pedal broke and she was thrown to the ground and fractured her finger. The injury had an impact on both her personal and working life during the several months it took to heal.

It was not the first time that Ms Brown had been injured whilst making use of the gym’s equipment. A few months earlier, the same exercise machine had failed and caused her a minor injury.

Ms Brown brought a personal injury claim against the gym and won an undisclosed amount in an out-of-court settlement.

Owners of premises where people go to improve their fitness have an obligation to ensure that customers are provided with a safe environment in which to exercise and engage in the leisure activities provided. Equipment should be fit for purpose and maintained and checked in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions.