Production of hit TV show The Walking Dead has temporarily shut down after a stunt man died from injuries sustained on set.
Stunt double John Bernecker fell 22 feet directly onto concrete while working at Raleigh Studios in Atlanta, according to a copy of the 911 call obtained by TMZ. The Daily Mail reports the 33-year-old fell while rehearsing a fight scene on a balcony.
Mr Bernecker was airlifted to a level-one trauma hospital in Atlanta and placed on a ventilator. He died later that day from blunt force trauma.
Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk has ruled the death accidental.
AMC said on Wednesday afternoon that they were “saddened” by the news of Mr Bernecker’s injuries, and had temporarily shut down production of the show. The network has yet to release an updated statement.
A spokesperson from SAG-AFTRA said they were “investigating” the incident.
“As always, the safety and security of our members and others on set is of crucial concern to us and we are focused on this in our investigation,” a representative from the union said.
In the 911 call placed after the fall, a colleague of Mr Bernecker’s tells the dispatcher that the stunt man fell “ about 25 feet off of a balcony straight onto concrete”.
“We need an ambulance ASAP,” the caller adds.
Mr Bernecker, who performed in movies such as 22 Jump Street, Logan, and The Fantastic Four, was visited in the hospital by his family and girlfriend.
In a Facebook post shortly before his death, a woman claiming to be Mr Bernecker’s girlfriend wrote: “John deserves to be seen by every neurosurgeon and doctor there is until one of them sees the life we all know he has in him and bring him back to us... THIS ISNT FAIR.”
The Independent has reached out to AMC and SAG-AFTRA for additional comment.
