During the production of Deadpool 2, stuntwoman Sequana “Joi” Harris tragically lost her life after a fatal motorcycle crash occurred during a stunt rehearsal. Now, two years since the incident temporarily shut down filming, an investigative report has been released that provides details behind why this incident occurred. While the cause of the incident isn’t new, the list of contributing factors that led to Harris’ death certainly are.
According to the full investigation launched into Joi Harris’ death, the previously reported accident on the Deadpool 2 set saw the stuntwoman hit a sidewalk curb, only to eject her from the bike she was riding and crash through a plate glass window. However, there are several factors that reportedly led to this stunt going awry, ultimately leading to Joi Harris’ fatal accident.
Per the report on the investigation provided by WorkSafeBC, the following contributing factors are to blame for Joi Harris’ death on the Deadpool 2 set:
Failure to conduct a risk assessmentFailure to provide new worker orientationInadequate workplace set-up and planningLack of safety headgearFailure to ensure the health and safety of workers
The longer report basically states that between failing to assess the risk of the stunt that was being filmed, not preparing the set so that barriers would have prevented Joi Harris and her motorcycle from leaving the set, and failing to provide Harris with orientation or headgear that could have prevented this incident, this Deadpool 2 stunt was allegedly a hazardous undertaking from the start.
Reading the details surrounding the accidental death of Joi Harris only hammers home how even big ticket productions like Deadpool 2, The Walking Dead, or the Resident Evil film series can still deal with accidents such as these, despite budget, plan, and presumably good faith intentions. In the case of the Walking Dead incident, the death of stuntman John Bernecker was also due to the rehearsal of a planned fight scene that saw an unfortunate accident befall its stunt work.
This news also comes in the wake of the recent news that stuntwoman Olivia Jackson had filed a lawsuit against the producers of the Resident Evil series. A very similar motorcycle stunt saw Jackson sustaining injuries that not only required she be put in a medically-induced coma at one point, but also required she have an arm amputated.
We don't know if anything will come out of the Deadpool 2 report. However, should any further proceedings crop up because of these findings, you can be sure that it will become news heard far and wide.
In the meantime, we'll continue to pay our heartfelt respects to Joi Harris, and all of the other filmmaking professionals like her, be they stunt or production personnel, who have been involved with accidents under such circumstances.
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