‘Resident Evil’ Stuntwoman Files Suit Over Horrific Motorcycle Crash
By Gene Maddaus
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – A stuntwoman who suffered severe injuries on the set of “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” in 2015 has filed a lawsuit alleging that the film’s producers reneged on a promise to cover her medical costs.
Olivia Jackson was driving a motorcycle that collided head-on with a camera rig during the shoot in South Africa. According to the suit, the camera was supposed to swoop over her, but the camera rig was not lifted in time.
Jackson was in a coma for 17 days and her left arm was amputated. She suffered numerous other injuries, including spinal fractures and bleeding on the brain. The suit alleges that producer Jeremy Bolt promised Jackson’s husband that the production would cover her medical expenses.
However, the suit alleges that the production had woefully inadequate insurance. The policy was limited to $33,000 for medical costs and $992 in lost wages — a tiny fraction of the alleged damages in the case — and the production had no liability insurance, according to the suit. Jackson had been a top stunt performer, and the accident ended her career.
She filed suit initially in South Africa, but the local production company was dismissed as a defendant after revealing that it had no assets and no liability insurance, according to the suit. The case is now being defended by South Africa’s Road Accident Fund, a state-run insurer that also has low coverage limits, the suit alleges. That process could take several years to play out, her attorneys allege.
Jackson’s attorneys opted to go after Bolt and Paul Anderson, the writer and director of the film, for breach of contract in Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, also names their company, Impact Pictures, as a defendant. The suit notes that the film grossed $338 million worldwide against a $40 million budget, and yet Jackson has been forced to forgo surgeries due to their cost.
“She needs medical care now,” said Stuart Fraenkel, her Los Angeles attorney, who estimated that the surgeries would cost $750,000 to $1 million. “She can’t afford it.”
Impact Pictures did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
