By Reform Agency
Nov 26, 2023, 8:47 PM EST
The makers of the movie “Fast & Furious 9” will have to pay a fine of $1 million dollars due to a serious injury suffered by a stunt double during the filming of the film.
John Watts, who used to perform as a stuntman in scenes of the ninth installment of the popular franchise starring Vin Diesel, ended up with permanent brain damage, resulting from a 8-meter fall that occurred on the Warner Bros. filming set in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, in July 2019. His case came to court due to the severity of the fall, as reported by the BBC.
This weekend, it was revealed that the lack of attention to safety measures, as well as a change that had not been made during rehearsals, were a consequence of the damage to Watts’ life.
Due to the above, a health and safety executive (HSE) in the United Kingdom accused the film makers of modifying the stunt for the scene at the last minute, lack of adjustments to Watts’ safety vest and the few mats. to slow the fall.
HSE inspector Roxanne Barker said: “Mr Watts’ injuries were life-changing and could easily have killed him. “In stunt work, it’s not about preventing a fall but minimizing the risk of injury.”
The accident occurred during the filming of a combat and stunt scene from a balcony. The stuntman’s safety rope came loose just as another actor threw him into the void.
The sentence against FF9 Pictures was given after it admitted failures in its security systems, Deadline detailed.
John Watts had experience as a stunt double after participating in the filming of productions such as “Game of Thrones”, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” and “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi”.
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