For whatever reason, the South African set of the latest Resident Evil ('The Final Chapter') film doesn't seem to have been the safest place to be. There was news in September that UK stunt-woman Olivia Jackson, doubling for star Milla Jovovich, had been seriously hurt during a stunt involving a motorcycle that crashed into camera equipment and which left her in a medically-induced coma for two weeks and according to her facebook other injuries that included: "...brain bleed, brain swelling, severed main artery in the neck, crushed & degloved face, several broken ribs, paralyzed arm, shattered scapula, broken clavicle, broken humerus, broken radius & ulna, with an open wound and a 7.5 piece of bone missing, amputated thumb, torn fingers, 5 nerves torn out of the spinal cord..." She was left with severe facial scarring and it now appears her left arm will have to be amputated. Her previous work has included the likes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
Jovovich commented at the time, saying in a statement: “I sit down to write this post with a heavy heart, because a terrible accident rocked our set on Saturday the 5th of September. My incredibly talented stunt double, Olivia Jackson, collided with a camera crane while performing a motorcycle stunt and it put her in the hospital with severe, multiple injuries. The cast and crew of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter have been totally devastated and are waiting with bated breath for news on her recovery – we now understand she is stable and being carefully monitored by very experienced South African doctors.
“I wasn’t personally there to witness it, but from the reports I got, it was awful. None of us have experienced anything like this in our careers making action films and hope we never do again, but the production reacted very quickly to ensure she received the best care and also in reaching out to her family and making sure they were informed and looked after during this overwhelmingly difficult time. Thank God, they have been by her side through out this harrowing week.
“Its a miracle that she survived. I didn’t know her very well, as we were all just getting going with the film, but the few times we rehearsed together, I really looked up to her because she danced through the choreography, beautiful and graceful. It’s a testament to Olivia’s strength that she managed to survive and also the quick reaction of our on set safety officer and his team that she has finally been pronounced stable.
“All of us here have been praying every single day for her and her family and sending our thoughts out hoping some of the positive energy reaches her, because she truly needs it… I would really appreciate it if you would take a moment out of your busy days ahead and pray for Olivia’s full recovery too. She needs all the help she can get right now and every bit of the good energy we can send.”
Now there's news coming from South African website IOL of an actual fatality on the set - after an incident that actually occurred on 3rd December - shortly before the film wrapped on the 9th - but which is only now being reported in any detail. It appears - according to a report on industry site Deadline - that a member of the crew, Ricardo Cornelius, was crushed by a humvee when he (or the vehicle) slid off a manually-rotated platform, crushing him against a nearby wall. He was taken to hospital but died from his injuries several hours later. His wife, whom he had married in 2014, said that he was initially kept on life-support at the hospital but that his internal injuries were too severe. She claimed that she had been in contact with the company who had hired him for the production, All Access Crew, and they had provided some initial monetary compensation but had now cut off communication.
At the time of posting, Constantin Films, the production company making the film, has just released a short statement that read: “We are all deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic accident, which was out of anyone’s control. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
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