A stuntwoman’s death on the set of the movie Deadpool 2 was due to her employer’s failure to conduct a risk assessment and other violations, according to WorkSafeBC, the Canadian agency that monitors and enforces workplace safety in the province of British Columbia.
In the 2017 incident, stunt double Joi Harris was killed while reportedly riding a motorcycle down a ramp laid atop a set of stairs. Harris, who was an experienced motorcycle racer but had never before done stunt work in a film, lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a building. She was killed instantly.
Harris was working as a stand-in for actor Zazie Beetz, who portrayed Domino in the film.
WorkSafeBC investigators found that TCF Vancouver Productions Ltd failed to conduct a risk assessment addressing safety controls, speed of the motorcycle, and equipment limitations "ensure that the workplace was designed with safety controls in place so that the stunt performer or the motorcycle could not proceed beyond the perimeter of the film set," including safety barriers.
Additionally, TCF failed to:
- Provide the required head protection
- Conduct adequate supervision, and
- Complete important health and safety documentation, including a stunt safety inspection checklist and a production activity notification checklist, as required by its own health and safety program
20th Century Fox reportedy settled out of court with Harris’ family for an undisclosed sum.
