Hollywood: A look at major accidents on movie and TV sets

Reuters

New York - The entertainment industry has a long history of on-set accidents.

By Reuters

Published: Fri 22 Oct 2021, 7:47 PM

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer and wounded a director when he discharged a prop gun on set during filming of movie "Rust" on Thursday.

The entertainment industry has a long history of on-set accidents, from prop guns to car crashes and chariot races.

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Below is a timeline of some high-profile accidents that took place on filming sets:

>> 1959 - An accident occurs during the filming of the chariot race in the Hollywood epic "Ben-Hur", starring Charlton Heston, in which a stunt man is injured.

>> 1982 - A helicopter crash kills three actors, two of them children, and injures six on the set of "Twilight Zone: The Movie". In the following years, the production team is found responsible for several labour violations, prompting the introduction of new safety standards in the industry.

>> 1984 - 26-year-old actor Jon-Erik Hexum fatally shoots himself in the head with a gun loaded with a blank on the set of television series "Cover Up".

>> 1993 - Brandon Lee, son of late martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, is shot in the abdomen with improperly-made dummy rounds on the set of "The Crow". After six hours of unsuccessful surgery, Lee is declared dead at the age of 28.

>> 2003 – Lead actress Uma Thurman has a car crash that crushes her knees and leaves her with a concussion on the set of Quentin Tarantino film "Kill Bill".

>> 2007 - Special effects technician involved in the filming of Batman movie "The Dark Knight" dies in a car accident after his vehicle crashed into a tree at the end of a test run-through at a special effects facility.

Also read: Woman dies after actor Alec Baldwin fires prop gun on film set

>> 2011 - An awry explosion kills a stunt man and seriously injures a second on the set of the action sequel "The Expendables 2" in Bulgaria.

>> 2014 - 71-year-old actor Harrison Ford requires surgery on a broken leg after being struck by a heavy hydraulic metal door on the set of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".

>> 2015 - A stunt woman is severely injured in a motorcycle crash on the set of "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" that leads to her arm being amputated. Later on the same set, a stunt man dies crushed under a Hummer vehicle.

>> 2017 – Female stunt driver dies on the set of superhero movie "Deadpool 2" in downtown Vancouver after she lost control of her motorcycle during a stunt and crashed through a window of a building across the street.