Olivia Jackson, a stunt double with numerous credits for stunt work on films such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Mad Max: Fury Road, is suing the producers of 2017’s Resident Evil: The Last Chapter as well as production company Impact Pictures, saying they “abandoned” her and have not provided adequate compensation for injuries after an on-set stunt she was working on went awry, leading to a horrific accident that cost Jackson her arm and her career as well as left her with severe pain and continued need for surgeries.
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According to USA Today, Jackson filed suit in Los Angeles last Tuesday. The incident in question took place in 2015 in South Africa where Jackson was working as a stunt double for Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich. Per the lawsuit, Jackson had been scheduled for a fight scene but at the last minute was switched to a complex motorcycle stunt instead. The lawsuit states that a camera that was supposed to be elevated as she drove towards it at top speed wasn’t raised in time, causing Jackson to crash directly into it. The accident led to “catastrophic injuries” that ultimately led to Jackson losing her arm and having “to be placed into a coma while doctors performed life-saving surgery.”
In an appearance on Good Morning America, Jackson said that the film’s producers misled her regarding their insurance covering any potential injuries sustained on the job. The insurance police only covered $33,000 of Jackson’s medical expenses and she was paid only $990 in lost wages.
“They admitted they had very limited insurance, but they promised they would take care of me and make sure I came back to health,” Jackson said. “When they stopped paying for the medical bills, I think I was just really hurt and really scared because I was stuck. … I was really hurt and really scared because now I was stuck on my own.”
Jackson’s lawsuit does not note a specific amount of damages but is instead seeking compensation that will allow her to “take care of myself for the rest of my life and pay for all the extensive medical bills that are ongoing.”
Jackson told GMA that she’s also suing in order to raise awareness.
“I would really like to make the world aware that things like this happen and make sure there is safety and insurance in place for the crews that make these films and give their lives, 16 hours a day, working to make these films,” Jackson said. “A lot of the things with the insurance, those were hidden from me. It’s hard really to learn from it, when you sign a contract that says the production has insurance, but you don’t really know, every crew member on a film doesn’t know to ask them for their insurance papers.”
Released in 2017, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter brought in over $300 million at the box office. The full Resident Evil franchise has brought in $1.2 billion.
