Fast & Furious filmmakers fined $1M after on-set accident leaves stuntman injured

Fast & Furious 9’s filmmakers have been fined $1,000,000 in damages after an on-set accident reportedly left a stuntman with brain damage.

In July 2019, during the filming of Fast & Furious 9, stuntman Joe Watts was left with a broken skull after falling 25ft (8 meters) head-first onto the concrete ground below. The incident took place in Warner Brothers’ studio in England. 

The Fast & Furious 9 production company, FF9 Pictures, was fined £800,000 (approximately $1,000,000) by the Luton Magistrates’ Court last Friday after they admitted health and safety failings.

According to BBC’s report, the judge said Watts was “fortunate to be alive” after a rehearsed stunt was changed during filming which led to his safety line not being checked in between takes. 

The rehearsed take would have seen Watts thrown over another performer’s right shoulder, however, the stunt was changed during filming for Watts to be thrown over the left. 

Because of this change, the safety matting that the stuntman would’ve landed on was not adjusted despite changes to the routine. 

Additionally, the safety line that Watts had on worked during the first take, however, detached from his vest during the second take, which led to his fall which missed the matting. The wire was reportedly not checked between takes. 

According to the Health and Safety Executive brought in by the prosecution, the production had “no system for double checking that the link had been properly engaged and tightened.” 

Continuing to criticize the production saying they “did not extend the crash matting to mitigate the consequences of an unintended fall following changes to the set and the sequence of the stunt.”

Watts had worked on several high-profile productions including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Game of Thrones, and Kingsman: The Golden Circle.