The entertainment industry woke up to horrifying news today. Veteran actor, Alec Baldwin, who has been shooting for his upcoming film Rust in New Mexico, shot a prop gun which led to the death of two crew members. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and director Joel Souz were injured when the shot was fired leading to Hutchins’ death due to severe injuries.
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The news was a shocker for everyone, but sadly, this is not the fist time something of such sorts has happened on a film set. many crew members have risked their lives for the perfect shots where many have ended up losing their lives. From stuntmen to camera person, Hollywood has seen quite a few horrible accidents.
Let’s take a look at 5 of the worst accidents that have taken place on the sets of films.
Hangover Part II
While many think that a comedy movie like Hangover Part II might not need a stuntman, considering where the lead characters end up every time, the set had a couple of stuntmen doing the job. Scott McLean, who has worked on films such as The Matrix, Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and during the shoot of a scene from Hangover Part II, injured him massively. The scene demanded Ed Helms’ character to stick his head out a taxi window. While shooting this scene for Helms’, McLean ended up hitting his head off an oncoming taxi cab. His injuries included having flesh torn from his skull and a large gash on the right side of his head.
xXx
xXx was all about extreme sports, other adrenaline-filled activities and a lot of impressive stunts. Vin Diesel’s stunt double had a lot of action scenes to shoot for in the film, however, Harry O’Connor, Diesel’s double, paid the ultimate price. During a sequence involving parasailing, O’Connor struck his head on part of Palacky Bridge in Prague and died almost instantly. O’Connor’s were even kept in the film to honour him.
The Crow
This accident is one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of accidents. The tragic death of Brandon Lee occurred on the set of the 1994 action thriller, The Crow. A terrible oversight by the prop crew led to his death. One of the bullets from a .44 Magnum revolver, which had been used previously, shot Lee in the abdomen, leading to his death.
Transformers: Dark of The Moon
Gabriela Cedillo, who was 24 at the time, was shooting for Transformers: Dark of The Moon, when she lost her life. It all happened when a toe cable snapped from one of the stunt vehicles, whipped through the air, then rushed through her windshield, striking her in the head. While she survived the accident miraculously, her life is that of a permanently disabled woman.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
This felt like a more personal loss than any other. David Holmes, who was Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double throughout the entire Harry Potter series, was a good friend of the lead actor. During the shooting of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Holmes fell from a height after being knocked into a wall by a staged explosion. Holmes had broken his neck and the accident left him tetraplegic, meaning being paralyzed in both legs and arms.
Coming back to the Alec Baldwin incident that took place today (October 22), the actor was seen “in tears” by two members of the press. The actor was questioned by the investigators following the incident. No charges were filed in connection with the case, which remains under investigation.
