Deadline has learned that the producers of Deadpool 2 were fined $289,562 over safety violations that contributed to the death of stuntwoman Joi Harris.
Harris was killed in August 2017 while filming a motorcycle stunt in Vancouver. A production studio source told Deadline that the sequence was rehearsed for two full days prior, and ran through "five-plus times before filming." An eyewitness alleges that on the last take, Harris crashed through a plate-glass window of a nearby building after losing control of her motorcycle as she was turning a corner.
Harris was not wearing a helmet when the accident took place because the character she was portraying, Domino, didn’t wear protective gear in the scene either.
WorkSafeBC, the Canada equivalent of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the U.S., identified five violations of the Workers Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation by the production company behind the 2018 film.
• Failure to ensure the health and safety of all workers by failing to identify the hazards and assess and control the risks of the work activity and failing to provide adequate supervision.
• Failure to ensure that the stunt performer complied with the Regulation by wearing safety headgear while operating the motorcycle.
• Failure to ensure the health and safety of the stunt performer by failing to provide adequate supervision with respect to this work activity.
• Failure to provide the stunt performer with a new worker orientation.
• Instructing the stunt performer not to wear safety headgear while operating the motorcycle.
"The primary purpose of an administrative penalty is to motivate the employer receiving the penalty — and other employers — to comply with occupational health and safety requirements and to keep their workplaces safe," WorkSafeBC said.
Deadpool 2 was Harris' first film as a stunt performer. According to her website, she's the first African American woman licensed to compete in American Motorcyclist Association races.
