QUEBEC — A 19-year-old man died on Thursday after a boxing arcade machine featuring a punching bag toppled on him in a Quebec City bar.
He was found suffering from a head wound in the wee hours and was declared dead in hospital.
A spokeswoman for the Quebec City police department said investigators were trying to determine whether the death was accidental.
Melissa Cliche said that as of Thursday afternoon police were still interviewing witnesses to find out what happened.
Criminal charges are possible if police determine the machine was pushed deliberately.
The machine in question allows patrons to hit a punching bag as hard as possible to gauge their strength.
In a Facebook post, the management of the P'tite Grenouille bar said initial accounts suggest one customer may have gripped the machine while another pushed it, causing it to fall onto the victim.
"Management will of course co-operate with the police to help them determine the exact circumstances of this tragic accident," the post read.
Cliche said officers on the scene have heard contradictory versions of what happened and cannot confirm the bar's account.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the victim's exact cause of death.
