It seems as though exercise equipment has suddenly become very dangerous — deadly, even — as evidenced by two high-profile equipment “accidents” in recent months.

Just days ago, reports that tech CEO Dave Goldberg of SurveyMonkey had died suddenly in Mexico shocked millions of people, especially those in the IT industry.

As reported by The Associated Press, initially the cause of Goldberg’s death was a mystery, but eventually Mexican authorities revealed that he had apparently died from a blow to the back of his head that he sustained while working out on a treadmill.

The AP noted:

The official said he left his room at about 4 p.m. to exercise, and family members went to look for him after he didn’t return. He was found at about 6:30 p.m. in one of the resort’s gymnasiums lying by a treadmill in a pool of blood, with a blow to the lower back of his head. He apparently had slipped on the treadmill and hit the machine, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak to the press

Dearth of information leads to much speculation

Goldberg was vacationing at the resort with his wife, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and their two children.

The New York Times further reported that Goldberg, 47, was vacationing with family and friends at a private beach-front villa near the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, an area of large development featuring two hotels and several private residences close to Puerto Villarta, in the country’s southwest.

The Times further reported that John O’Sullivan, head of the Four Seasons Punta Mita, said no incident had occurred in any of the areas of the resort managed by the company.

The initial shock of Goldberg’s death, along with an initial dearth of information, led many to speculate that perhaps there might have been foul play or some other explanation other than he simply fell off exercise equipment that he normally uses.

Penelope Trunk, an entrepreneur and “geek feminist” openly wrote in her blog that she believes Goldberg killed himself:

First of all, let me say that I feel really bad for everyone who is losing Dave Goldberg in their life. …

I don’t have any evidence that it was a suicide. All I have is someone notable died and no one is saying how. And however Sheryl’s husband died is news, since she has been news for three years telling women their husband is instrumental into the process of Leaning In.

But really, I just want to know how Dave died. Because I think he killed himself. And if he did, this might tells us a lot about what happens when both people in marriage Lean In.

What happened to Harry Reid?

Lean In is a book co-written by Sandberg and Nell Scovell, a TV and magazine writer, about how women should be given more corporate leadership roles.

Breitbart News reported that an anonymous source told Forbes online that more information about Goldberg’s death would be made available soon.

His story seems to dovetail into a similar episode involving U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.

According to reports, Reid says he was severely injured on New Year’s Day when elastic bands he was using to exercise with broke, striking him in his right eye. But his story changed several times, as compiled by The Daily Sheeple, leading many to speculate that Reid actually got beat up, perhaps by his alcoholic brother, Larry.

Whatever the case, Reid has since decided that it is time to retire from the Senate — after losing his majority leader status last November, after 30 years in that office, after being involved in a federal invasion of the Bundy ranch, and after suffering a beating from “exercise equipment.”

Sources:

http://www.breitbart.com

http://www.nytimes.com

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com

http://pjmedia.com

http://www.thedailysheeple.com