Personal Injury Law

Personal Injury Lawsuit Filed After Extra Hurt Filming ?Transformers 3?

By guest-writer

While making a film creates loads of stress for movie producers, tragic accidents are rarely a cause for their concern. However, a recent incident on the set of ?Transformers 3? has left a rippling effect on the filmmakers and severely impacted the life of one injured extra.

According to reports, the family of Gabriella Cedillo recently filed a personal injury lawsuit against the makers of the movie, alleging that their negligence resulted in Cedillo?s severe brain injury. The lawsuit was filed in the Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Illinois

The details of the accident are shocking. For the stunt, Cedillo, who had just turned 24 years old, was driving her own car in a vacated part of a downtown avenue in Hammond, Indiana. Sources indicate that Cedillo was among 80 other extras driving along the same stretch of road.

While she was driving, empty stunt vehicles were being towed by flatbed trucks in the opposite direction at speeds reaching 50 miles per hour. The scene in question required one of these stunt vehicles to be lifted into the air and flipped with the aid of an intricate series of cables.

Unfortunately, on the day of the accident, the bracket attached to one of the flying cars snapped, sending the vehicle flying towards Cedillo?s car. Shortly thereafter, a metal object slammed through Cedillo?s windshield, causing irreparable brain damage.

Cedillo has been in the hospital since her on-the-job injury and is paralyzed on her left side, though she has been able to write a few words.

A particularly unsettling feature of the accident, according to sources close to the case, is that a similar incident had occurred the day before, though it did not result in injury to any of the extras.

The lawsuit alleges that the movie officials from Paramount Pictures failed to adequately ensure the safety of the brackets and cables supporting the stunt cars. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the accident was a result of shoddy welding on the cars? brackets that held the stunt cables.

In addition, the suit claims that the film?s makers were negligent in allowing the extras to work so close to the dangerous stunt. Cedillo?s attorney claims that there was no indication that she would be subjected to such risk when she filed paperwork before filming the scene.

The woman?s small role in ?Transformers 3? was her first appearance in a film. Co-workers at the bank where she worked said she had always wanted to be an actress.

While accidents on movie sets are relatively rare, car accidents occur all too frequently. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of someone?s negligent actions, contact a local injury lawyer today to learn your legal rights.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on October 15, 2010 (boomark / email).