The mother of a stuntman who fell to his death last year while working on the TV series "The Walking Dead" has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against cable network AMC, alleging that the fall wasn't properly rehearsed and that the production cut corners in terms of safety and did not follow industry safety standards.
John Bernecker, 33, was killed on the Georgia set of "The Walking Dead" July 12 while shooting a scene for the series' eighth season. His mother, Susan Bernecker, filed the lawsuit Tuesday in state court in Gwinnett County, Ga.
The suit alleges that AMC "orchestrated and enforced a pattern of filming and producing 'The Walking Dead' cheaply and, ultimately, unsafely." It also claims that AMC pressured Stalwart Films LLC, which produces the show, to maintain "unreasonably low budgets and expenses," including an "unreasonably low budget" for stunt performances during the season.
AMC had no comment on the lawsuit.
John Bernecker died while performing a 22-foot fall off a balcony. The suit alleges that he fell to a part of the ground that wasn't padded or protected, suffering blunt force trauma and other severe injuries. It claims that there was no ambulance on the site and that it took 30 minutes from the time of the fall until he was taken by helicopter for medical treatment.
The stuntman's mother alleges in her complaint that Stalwart Films did not properly execute the stunt by not providing to provide adequate padding on the fall area and not adhering to industry standards.
She is seeking unspecified damages for her son's death, and punitive damages.
This month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Stalwart Films $12,675 for Bernecker's death, which was ruled an accident.
.png?w=600)
