Man Dies After Bizarre Accident at the Movies

A British moviegoer has died after a freak accident that wouldn't be out of place in a Final Destination film. Authorities say the customer was at Vue Cinema in Birmingham when his head became wedged under the electronic footrest of a reclining "Gold Class" seat, the Guardian reports. Sources tell the Birmingham Mail that the man, who was at the cinema with his partner, was trying to retrieve a phone he had dropped between seats. The man became trapped when the footrest shifted from the upright position, the sources say.

The Mail's sources say the man panicked as the footrest clamped onto his head and his partner and others struggled desperately to break it away and free him. The West Midlands Ambulance Service says the man suffered a cardiac arrest while trapped under the seat. He was hospitalized after emergency workers restarted his heart, but he died in the hospital a week after the March 9 incident. The cinema company says it is investigating the incident. "We are committed to helping and assisting those involved and respect their wishes for privacy and no publicity," Vue Cinemas said in a statement. (This man reportedly died during a horror movie, then vanished.)