The mother of John Bernecker, Susan, filed a wrongful death complaint on Tuesday, January 23 after his son died last year after a tragic accident on the set of the series in Atlanta, Georgia.
- January 25, 2018
AceShowbiz -
The mother of "The Walking Dead" stuntman John Bernecker is suing AMC and the series' production companies in a wrongful death complaint. Bernecker died last year from injuries he sustained while filming the eighth season of the series.
Susan Bernecker filed the complaint in Georgia state court on Tuesday, January 23. "The production of season 8 of 'The Walking Dead', like seasons before it, had an emphasis on keeping production budgets low and profits high," the complaint read.
The complaint went on asserting that AMC Parent, AMC Network and AMC Holdings "put pressure on the production service company, Stalwart Films, to produce episodes of 'The Walking Dead' as cheaply as possible." It added, "The AMC Defendants orchestrated and enforced a pattern of filming and producing 'The Walking Dead' cheaply, and, ultimately, unsafely."
"As the ultimate decision-makers for 'The Walking Dead' production," the complaint continued, "the AMC Defendants are each independently responsible for the failure of 'The Walking Dead' production to take reasonable safety precautions to protect its performer, John Bernecker. Each of the Defendants had knowledge, actual or constructive, that the film of season 8 of 'The Walking Dead', include episode 807, was not being performed in a safe manner in accordance with industry standards."
John was pronounced dead when he was rushed to the Atlanta Medical Center after a tragic accident on the set of the series in Atlanta, Georgia. According the complaint, "there was no ambulance or medical transport at the filming location, contrary to established industry standards."
According to Georgia's Coweta County Sheriff's Office report, John was supposed to perform a stunt fall from a balcony over a railing approximately 22 feet in the air onto a pad made of a layer of 22-inch boxes, PORTaPIT pads and a large pad. The stuntman told star Austin Amelio that he had done "a few" high fall stunts before, but "never this high up."
Following John's passing, AMC previously released a statement which read, "Our thoughts and prayers are and have been with John Bernecker, his family, friends, and everyone touched by this tragic accident since the moment it occurred. We take the safety of our employees on all of our sets extremely seriously, and meet or exceed industry safety standards. Out of respect for the family, we will have no further comment on this litigation."
