Directors of Fast and Furious A fine of one million dollars was imposed.
This incident happened during the shooting in 2019 Fast & Furious 9: The Fast Saga at Warner Bros. Studios in Leaveston, Hertfordshire, the BBC reported.
Prosecutors for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) told the court on Friday (24Nov23) that during a fight scene on a balcony, Joe Watts’ safety line came loose as he performed an unrepeatable stunt several times.
The stuntman, 35, was originally supposed to be thrown over an actor’s right shoulder, but, in a last-minute change, he was told he would be thrown over the actor’s left shoulder.
Joe Watts suffered brain damage after missing a safety mound, the court was told.
The safety line was said not to have been checked between takes, a ruling rejected by District Judge Talwinder Butter, who said Joe Watts was lucky to be alive.
Prosecutors argued that FF9 Pictures, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, “failed to put in place the necessary safety mat to mitigate the effects of unintended fallout following set and stunt sequence changes.”
HSE Inspector Roxanne Barker described Mr Watts’ injuries as “life-changing”.
Joe Watts has worked on many major film and television productions Game of Thrones, Johnny English Strikes Again, Star Wars: The Last Jedi And Kingsman: Le Cercle d’Or.
Fast & Furious 9: The Fast SagaReleased in 2021, it stars Vin Diesel, Michael Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Ludacris Bridges, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron.
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