Movie sets have become dangerous places recently with a spate of high profile deaths of stunts people.
Recently, a stuntwoman died in a motorcycle scene that went wrong in Vancouver, Canada on the set of Deadpool 2.
Joi ‘SJ’ Harris, reported The Daily Record, was believed to be the stunt double for Zazie Beetz, an actress who plays Domino in the film. She was a professional road racer born in New York.
Harris’s website said she was the first licensed black woman in the history of the United States to actively compete in AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) sanctioned motorcycle road racing events.
Details of this tragic accident were sparse. The media reported that the “the throttle somehow engaged” and Harris lost control while she was standing on the motorcycle.
Stuntwoman died on Deadpool2 Set
The death led to much soul searching in the movie industry, reported Hollywood Reporter.
While Harris was an experienced motorcycle racer, the report suggested she was not an experienced stunt person, according to Conrad Palmisano, a seasoned stunt coordinator. He said:
“It is my understanding that she is reported to be a pro racer. But she rode 300cc cycles. The one she crashed on was 900cc motorcycle — much bigger, more powerful.”
The film industry is seeing more and more accidents, according to the media. This may be linked to increased pressures on sets.
A report in The Daily Telegraph suggested the Deadpool 2 crew was being “run ragged.” Crew members were reported to be working multiple 16-hour days in a row, including weekends.
Before the Deadpool tragedy, two crew members died on the set of American Made, a Tom Cruise cartel comedy.
During shooting in Colombia in 2015, veteran Hollywood stunt pilot Alan Purwin died alongside pilot Carlos Berl in a plane crash near the set of Mena. Family members launched a wrongful death lawsuit against the film’s producers and production company.
These is a potential parallel with the death of Harris. Family members insisted in the lawsuit that Berl was not fully qualified to pilot the particular plane involved in the crash.
However, repeated warnings about his inexperience were dismissed by the film’s production companies.
Increasingly, film companies appear to be taking more risk in the making of productions. Cutting corners expose them to more wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits.
If a loved one has lost his or her life in Georgia due to the fault of another, please contact our Newnan personal injury lawyer at (404) 913-1529.