Jury awards $8.6m to family of US stuntman killed on ‘Walking Dead’

15:07 • 20.12.19
Law

An Atlanta jury has awarded $8.6 million in damages to the family of a stuntman killed on the set of the TV series “The Walking Dead”, The Los Angeles Times reports.

John Bernecker, who was 33, died in 2017 from injuries sustained while filming a scene for the series’ eighth season. The seven-day trial began early this month in Gwinnett County, Ga., where the show is based, after his mother, Susan Bernecker, brought a wrongful-death suit against the cable network last year.

Bernecker, an experienced stuntman who appeared in several films, including “Get Out” and “Logan,” died after performing a 22-foot fall off a balcony, landing on a part of the ground that wasn’t padded or protected. His death, from blunt force trauma, was ruled accidental by a coroner.

But the suit alleged that there was no ambulance on site and that it took 30 minutes from the time of the fall until Bernecker was evacuated by helicopter for medical treatment.

Attorneys for AMC Networks, producer of the 10-season-long show, argued that his death was the result of a mistake. “The set of ‘The Walking Dead’ is safe, and is regularly evaluated to ensure that it adheres to all industry standards and guidelines related to stunts and stunt safety, notwithstanding this very sad and isolated accident,” AMC Networks, said in an earlier statement.

Jeff Harris, the attorney for the Bernecker family, however, argued that AMC failed to follow its own policies and procedures regarding safety during the stunt. According to Harris, there was no production safety representative, and a 10-foot capture system used in Bernecker’s planned fall was inadequate.

Stalwart Films LLC and TWD Productions VIII LLC — production companies affiliated with AMC — were found liable in the wrongful-death suit.

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