Game of Thrones stunt performer gets £7m settlement after accident on set

‘I hit the floor and heard my bones breaking underneath me’

5 hours ago

A stunt performer has received a £7 million ($9.3 million) settlement after an accident on the set of Game of Thrones. After doing a challenging stunt, Casey Michaels shattered her ankle and couldn’t continue her career.

Casey Michaels portrayed one of the zombie-like wights who stormed Winterfell during season eight episode three, The Long Night. She and 26 other performers had to drop about 12 feet onto a landing rig of mats and cardboard boxes, according to Deadline. Michaels says she did not rehearse the scene. There was so much fake snow that it was difficult for the performers to see. Michaels claims the performers were instructed to not look too closely at where they were landing, as they were supposed to behave like zombies. All the performers who jumped before Michaels had weakened the landing rig.

After dropping from the wall, Michaels shattered her ankle. She told Deadline: “I hit the floor and heard my bones breaking underneath me.” Michaels used crutches for nearly a year and had five operations over four years. She had therapy for PTSD, and hasn’t been able to work as a stunt performer again.

Michaels sued Warner Bros. Discovery, claiming she’d been deprived of her career. HBO had to pay her £7 million, including legal costs. HBO also accepted primary liability for the stunt going on the Game of Thrones set going wrong.

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An HBO spokesperson said: “We are saddened to learn about the adversity Ms Michaels has experienced and take these matters very seriously. Mr Irlam [the stunt co-ordinator] is a celebrated and respected stunt coordinator and has an extensive history with HBO productions. As an expert in such a physically demanding field, we remain confident in his abilities and know he has always done everything possible to maintain the high safety standards that are required on our productions.”

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Featured images via HBO.