‘America’s Got Talent: Extreme’ Contestant Files Lawsuit Over Stunt That Paralyzed Him

Bruce Haring
·1 min read
3

Former America’s Got Talent: Extreme reality show contestant Jonathan Goodwin has filed a lawsuit claiming lax safety standards on the show led to an accident that nearly killed him and left him a paraplegic.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Named as defendants were Fremantle Media North America and its production arm, Syco Entertainment, Marathon Productions, and NBCUniversal, among others.

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In October 2021, the TV production was at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Goodwin was involved in a stunt wherein he was supposed to escape while wearing a straightjacket and suspended 20-40 feet in the air between two cars. The stunt called for him to remove the jacket before the cars hit each other head-on.

Instead, Goodwin was crushed between the two cars as the stunt went wrong, causing an explosion on the set and burning Goodwin. He was rushed to the hospital and production was paused.

Goodwin suffered a dislocated spinal cord, internal organ injuries, including the loss of his left kidney, fractures to his legs, ribs and shoulders, and extensive third-degree burns.

Good Morning America obtained video of the stunt-gone-wrong (see above)

The lawsuit claims the defendants were negligent and failed to implement industry safety standards.

After the accident, Goodwin posted to Instagram on his condition (see below).

“I have been to the very brink and dodged the worst that a human being can, without fear… because I was protected by love,” he wrote.

NBC ultimately shelved AGT: Extreme after just four episodes. Meanwhile, AGT Season 18 concluded last month.

Here are the court documents.

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