Female Stunt Driver Dies on Set of Deadpool 2 During Motorcycle Stunt

A stuntwoman for the upcoming Deadpool sequel has died on set, PEOPLE confirms.

The unnamed stunt driver died during a motorcycle stunt, according to a statement by the Vancouver Police. Vancouver Police Department officers responded to the scene of the accident, along with officers from WorkSafeBC.

The driver is thought to be the stunt double for Zazie Beetz. A woman donning the costume for the mutant Domino, whom Beetz plays in the film, was spotted on a black Ducati motorcycle in the area for a sequence days earlier.

“Today, we tragically lost a member of our crew while filming Deadpool,” the film’s star, Ryan Reynolds tweeted. “We’re heartbroken, shocked and devastated… but recognize nothing can come close to the grief and inexplicable pain her family and loved ones must feel in this moment. My heart pours out to them — along with each and every person she touched in this world.”

“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of one of our stunt performers today,” Deadpool 2 director David Leitch said in a statement to PEOPLE. “No words can express how I and the rest of the Deadpool 2 crew feel about this tragedy. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and loves ones in this difficult time.”

This was the stunt driver’s first film as a stunt performer, according to Deadline, which reported that she was a motorcross expert and was not wearing a helmet during the scene because her character does not wear a helmet.

“We are deeply saddened by the accident that occurred on the set of Deadpool 2 this morning,” 20th Century Fox said in a statement. “Our hearts and prayers are with the family, friends and colleagues of our crew member during this difficult time.”

The Vancouver Sun reported that the accident occurred just after 8 a.m. on Monday. Witnesses told the outlet that the woman lost control of her bike during a stunt, jumped a curb and crashed through a plate-glass window at Shaw Tower. She was reportedly treated by ambulance personnel but police said she died at the scene.

According to Metro News, the stunt driver narrowly missed hitting two pedestrians when she lost control of the bike.

An eye witness told the outlet that the stunt driver completed several rehearsals of the stunt, which involved driving a motorcycle down two ramps across several stairs, earlier that morning.

“She came out, went down the two flights of stairs, and it looked like she kind of hit the throttle because she picked up speed,” Nathan Kramchynski told Metro News.

“She was going full throttle,” he added, noting that it appeared as if the driver “missed two pedestrians” during the failed stunt.

CTV News reported that the lights and sirens of the ambulance were not turned on as it pulled away with the stuntwoman onboard.

Reynolds, who’s reprising his role as Deadpool in the sequel, tweeted a photo with members of the Vancouver Police Department last week, jokingly thanking them for their support in filming Spider-Man.

Just last month, John Bernecker, a stuntman on The Walking Dead, died after sustaining “serious injuries” on the AMC drama’s Georgia set.

The stuntman and actor, who also worked on The Fate of the Furious and Logan, was placed on life support after suffering massive head injuries that left him brain dead.

Sources told Deadline that Bernecker and an actor were rehearsing a fight scene that was supposed to end with a routine fall from a balcony, but he lost his footing and fell 30 ft. to concrete floor.

Deadpool 2 is set to hit theaters in 2018, and The Walking Dead is currently set to return for season 8 in October.