Crew member on Netflix Kevin Hart film ‘fighting for his life’ after fall
A 38-year old crew member sustained critical injuries after a major fall during construction for the Netflix film “Me Time,” which stars Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg.
Just after 7 a.m. Tuesday, 911 received calls that a crew member had fallen through a hole in an elevated platform, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
When paramedics arrived at the soundstage at Netflix’s Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood, the unidentified crew member was receiving CPR from emergency medical technicians at the scene, LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey said Tuesday.
The man did not have a pulse and was not breathing. He sustained fractures to both legs and one arm, and was bleeding after falling from a height that first responders estimated was 60 to 80 feet, Humphrey said.
First responders had to shock him to restore his breathing, blood pressure and pulse.
“He is fighting for his life,” Humphrey said, adding the crew member was in critical condition and was sent to an unidentified regional trauma center.
A person close to Netflix said the accident had occurred during construction for the upcoming film “Me Time” and that their estimate was that he fell about 35 to 37 feet. No filming was taking place.
The accident, which will be investigated by CAL-OSHA, is one of the most serious in the L.A. area in recent years.
In February 2013, a helicopter pilot, cameraman and crew member were killed in a helicopter crash in Acton during the filming of a reality series for Discovery Channel, the worst film-set accident in California in three decades.
Earlier that month a camera operator on “NCIS: Los Angeles” was hospitalized after sustaining an injury during the filming of the CBS television show.
While the cause of the accident is not known, it comes as crews have been fighting for better working conditions from Hollywood studios as production resumes.
Studios, including Netflix, ramped up production in recent months to get their filming schedules back on track after the COVID-19 pandemic halted production last year.
Productions have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, mainly as a result of demand from a raft of new streaming platforms.
But union officials have highlighted complaints about crew members working excessively long hours and not having enough rest between filming sessions. The issue is a major sticking point in protracted contract talks between the studios and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents Hollywood’s technical workers.
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