In a stunt gone tragically wrong, a female motorcycle driver has died on the set of Deadpool 2.
On Monday morning, the Vancouver Police Department confirmed it was on scene, along with investigators from WorkSafe BC.
The stuntwomen died after the motorcycle she was riding crashed into the Shaw Tower, located at the corner of Cordova and Thurlow. Her name has yet to be released to the public.
Jason Cameron, spokesperson and business agent for UBCP/ACTRA (Union of British Columbia Performers and the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Televisions and Radio Artists), says the Coroners Service was also on the scene and that the event is both tragic and rare.
“It was a stunt that went tragically wrong,” he says. “It's also important to recognize that these sorts of serious injuries and fatalities are exceedingly rare, given the number of film stunts that are performed not just here but in North America.”
The multi award-winning movie starring Ryan Reynolds has been filming its sequel in Vancouver since June, becoming infamous in Vancouver for street closures, during which it films high-speed, action-packed scenes.
Reynolds took to social media to express his sadness and condolences to the family of the deceased.
“We’re heartbroken, shocked and devastated,” he said.
Westender connected with a film professional working on a different set in the city, who said her crew stopped working to take a moment of silence in light of the incident.
Cameron says his organization is working to provide trauma and grief counselling to its members who are affected by the accident. He also said that phone lines had been busy today at the UBCP/ACTRA office, as members called in looking for more details about the incident.
“This is obviously a very deeply sad incident that's happened and the tragedy is certainly reverberating through the community," Cameron says.
WorkSafe BC regulations dictate the safety standards and required personnel on site, says Cameron, and although first aid crews are mandatory on set, regulations vary as to when paramedics are also required.
Conversations about safety and cautionary tales are common amongst stunt actors, says Cameron, and safety meetings prior to filming are standard practice.
Formal preparations for a stunt include choreography, rehearsals and “multiple safety meetings in advance of actually performing the stunt with the cameras rolling,” he says.
“It's really about taking something that on screen looks death defying and extremely dangerous, to try to mitigate those risks as much as possible. As tragic as it is we have to also recognize that this isn't something that happens often, it's very rare.”
