Chief lighting technician Serge Svetnoy taking a selfie with cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust
(Picture: SERGE SVETNOY/AFP via Getty Images)The film crew member who cradled dying cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after she was accidentally shot by Alec Baldwin is suing the star and others who were on the set.
Serge Svetnoy, who was head of lighting on the Western film Rust, alleges negligence that caused him “severe emotional distress” that will haunt him forever.
In his lawsuit, Mr Svetnoy said the bullet that killed his close friend had narrowly missed him.
The legal action filed in Los Angeles Superior Court names nearly two dozen defendants associated with the film including Baldwin, 63, who was both star and producer.
“They should never, ever, have had live rounds on this set,” Mr Svetnoy’s attorney Gary Dordick said at a news conference last night.
The authorities are still investigating the incident which happened on October 21 in New Mexico.
According to a court document, the movie’s assistant director, Dave Halls, has told investigators he failed to check all the rounds in the gun before handing it over to Mr Baldwin.
He reportedly called out “cold gun” as he gave it to the Oscar-nominated actor, meaning he believed it to be safe.
On the day of the shooting, Mr Svetnoy said he was setting up lighting within six or seven feet of Baldwin.
“What happened next will haunt Plaintiff forever,” the suit says. “He felt a strange and terrifying whoosh of what felt like pressurized air from his right. He felt what he believed was gunpowder and other residual materials directly strike the right side of his face.”
Then, with his glasses scratched and his hearing muffled, he knelt to help 42-year-old Hutchins, the documents say.
