A stuntman is suing Tom Cruise's production company for negligence after he received severe burns on the set of Mission: Impossible 3. Steven Scott Wheatley filed suit against Paramount Pictures and Cruise's production company Cruise/Wagner Productions at Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. Wheatley received burns over 60 per cent of his body last June, when the stunt "malfunctioned" and a "gasoline bomb" exploded, covering him "in this ball of fire," the suit claims. The stuntman and his wife Mary are claiming the film companies' negligence caused him "severe personal injury" and are asking for unspecified damages. Internet news site TMZ.com reports the couple are also suing for loss of consortium - which means the inability of one spouse to have normal marital relations.
Brought to you by IMDB 3/30/06 I'd like a qui-gon jinn please with an Obi-Wan to go.
Obviously I don't know the ins and outs of the case, and I think Tom Cruise is a crazy loser who needs a good suing, but isn't there a certain element of risk involved in being a stuntman? Does this guy really have a legit claim? I mean, he's a f88king stuntman - his job exists because the stunts are too dangerous and risky for the actor to do.
There's always an element of risk, but I think it comes down to whether there was negligence on the part of the people who set things up.
Working on an oil rig out in the middle of the ocean is fairly dangerous, but if you're injured because the company that built the rig cut some corners or the engineer who designed it made a mistake, their negligence puts the level of risk above what would be considered normal for the job, and for that they could probably be sued.
MY FORMER BAND MATE IS THE ASSISTANT TO MEL GIBSON'S STUNT DOUBLE. I ASKED HIM ABOUT THIS. HE SAID THAT THE STUNTMEN ARE PART OF THE STUNT SET-UP. IT IS THE STUNTMAN WHO USUALLY DOES THE FINAL SAFETY CHECK ON EVERYTHING. THEREFORE, THIS GUY DOES NOT HAVE A CASE. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, AND THAT'S PART OF THE JOB. THE PRODUCTION COMPANY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AN MEDICAL BILLS THAT MAY ARISE, BUT THAT'S IT. THEIR RESPONSIBILTY ENDS THERE.
Originally posted by: THX Looking at it another way, win or lose, the guy is f88ked (as they say). But he could really use that money right now and Cruise can afford it.