The weight he was attempting is irrelevant. The issue is the lack of basic, simple safety stops, not whether he was capable of pressing a given weight.
Sure, a spotter could help, but frankly, I have been in a crowded gym, looked around and seen no one that I could trust to spot me on bench. Besides, when shit happens, spotters are not that much help. Steel safety stands, set to the right height, would ensure zero injuries.
The other issue is second rate equipment. Such as this bench setup with shit safety stands:
I'm pretty sure that's an ER rack. The had a few of them at a comp I was at last year and you could easily pull the safety stands away from the uprights, which is what happened in the above video. They used an ER rack on the platform at the comp, but they had made longer safety stand arms that were jammed up tight against the uprights, so it wasn't a standard bench rack.
The gym should be held accountable for the avoidable death of this kid. If the bench had proper safety stops, it wouldn't have happened.
Shitty safety stands:
Proper safety stands: