Maze Runner filmmaker failed to ensure Dylan O'Brien's safety on set: WorkSafeBC
Redacted documents from WorkSafeBC say stunt sequence was changed without rehearsal
B.C.'s worker safety agency says the Maze Runner filmmaker failed to ensure the safety of its lead actor Dylan O'Brien during a stunt sequence, leading to him being seriously injured.
O'Brien was filming for the latest instalment of the dystopian sci-fi franchise on March 17 when the accident took place at the Cache Creek airport near Kamloops, B.C. He was apparently hit by a car and rushed to a hospital in Vancouver with serious injuries.
The complete picture of what happened remains a mystery, but redacted documents from WorkSafeBC put the blame on the employer, Fox productions, for not rehearsing a stunt sequence properly.
It says O'Brien — identified as 'the worker' — was rigged to a moving vehicle while riding on the back of another moving vehicle ahead of it. But, WorkSafeBC says, this was not the planned and rehearsed action sequence.
"When the change was made to the sequence, there was no meeting held to review the changes with all involved," the report said.
"The change to the action sequence increased the risk of injury."
Fox disputes WorkSafeBC findings
However, in a Employer Incident Investigation Report filed with WorkSafeBC, Fox paints a different picture of what happened.
It says the trailing vehicle — which O'Brien was rigged to — slowed down prematurely, which caused it to separate from the leading vehicle he was actually riding on.
The employer report says the stunt sequence was "thoroughly rehearsed and successfully completed approximately five times prior to the accident."
"The pre-viz and storyboards were thoroughly discussed shot-by-shot by relevant production personnel" ... and "additionally a safety meeting was held with cast and crew prior to the sequence."
WorkSafeBC has given the production company a June 15 deadline to file a report detailing ways in which it has improved safety procedures.
Filming of Maze Runner: The Death Cure has been delayed by almost a year and 20th Century Fox has moved the release date to Jan. 12, 2018.