The accidental fall that killed 33-year-old stuntman John Bernecker last Wednesday on the set of AMC’s The Walking Dead marked the first stunt-related death in the United States in nearly 15 years and the first on-set fatality in the country since 2014.
The beloved zombie apocalypse series was filming its eighth season at Raleigh Studios in Senoia, Ga. (39 miles south of downtown Atlanta) when Bernecker fell from a 22-foot balcony and landed headfirst onto a concrete floor at 1:11 p.m. while filming a fight scene with actor Austin Amelio nearby.
Bernecker was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center half an hour later and was pronounced brain-dead (i.e. legally dead) at 6:30 p.m. from blunt force trauma, according to Coweta County coroner Richard Hawk.
In an incident report obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, witness and second assistant director Matthew Goodwin told a Coweta County sheriff’s deputy that Bernecker landed “just inches” away from an area of safety padding that had been arranged to break his fall.
AMC announced a day later that production had been suspended in the aftermath of the tragedy. On Friday, Variety reported that the Atlanta office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will investigate the incident. The Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG-AFTRA) has also pledged a forthcoming review of its own.
“Our production is heartbroken by the tragic loss of John Bernecker,” said showrunner and executive producer Scott M. Gimple in a statement posted by ABC News over the weekend. “John’s work on ‘The Walking Dead’ and dozens of other movies and shows will continue to entertain and excite audiences for generations. We are grateful for his contributions, and all of us send our condolences, love, and prayers to John’s family and friends.”
source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/russespinoza/2017/07/16/death-of-walking-dead-stuntman-was-first-of-its-kind-in-u-s-since-2002/#589e9e503fb6