‘Resident Evil’ Stuntwoman Injured On Set Out Of Coma – Update
3RD UPDATE, 9:30 AM: Oliva Jackson, the Milla Jovovich stunt double who was critically injured on the set of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter last month in South Africa, is now out of a medically induced coma. She posted an update to Facebook detailing her injuries and the long road to recovery that she faces:
2 weeks in a coma, brain bleed, brain swelling, severed main artery in the neck, crushed & degloved face, several broken ribs, paralyzed arm, shattered scapula, broken clavicle, broken humerus, broken radius & ulna, with an open wound and a 7.5 piece of bone missing, amputated thumb, torn fingers, 5 nerves torn out of the spinal cord…. not my funnest day on set.”
UK-born Jackson, 32, was riding a motorcycle at high speed when she crashed into a piece of camera equipment that was filming a chase scene. Production has resumed on the pic, which has a January 2017 release date via Sony/Screen Gems.
2ND UPDATE, SEPTEMBER 16, 8:35 AM: Milla Jovovich, the actress who stars in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, has taken to Facebook to ask that her fans pray for her stunt double Olivia Jackson and talked about the on-set accident that left the stuntwoman in a medically induced coma.
The actress said that she had never experienced anything like it on a set before, called it “a harrowing week” and that it was “a miracle that she (Jackson) survived.” Jackson’s husband David Grant last wrote on Facebook that “she has been making steady progress” and that “I whisper to her everyday telling her about the support she’s getting world wide!” This is one of several on-set accidents that have occurred in the past few weeks, with two confirmed fatalities abroad on the set of the Tom Cruise film Mena after a plane crash. Here is Jovovich’s post in its entirety:
“I sit down to write this post with a heavy heart, because a terrible accident rocked our set on Saturday the 5th of September. My incredibly talented stunt double, Olivia Jackson, collided with a camera crane while performing a motorcycle stunt and it put her in the hospital with severe, multiple injuries. The cast and crew of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter have been totally devastated and are waiting with bated breath for news on her recovery – we now understand she is stable and being carefully monitored by very experienced South African doctors.
“I wasn’t personally there to witness it, but from the reports I got, it was awful. None of us have experienced anything like this in our careers making action films and hope we never do again, but the production reacted very quickly to ensure she received the best care and also in reaching out to her family and making sure they were informed and looked after during this overwhelmingly difficult time. Thank God, they have been by her side through out this harrowing week.
“Its a miracle that she survived. I didn’t know her very well, as we were all just getting going with the film, but the few times we rehearsed together, I really looked up to her because she danced through the choreography, beautiful and graceful. It’s a testament to Olivia’s strength that she managed to survive and also the quick reaction of our on set safety officer and his team that she has finally been pronounced stable.
“All of us here have been praying every single day for her and her family and sending our thoughts out hoping some of the positive energy reaches her, because she truly needs it… I would really appreciate it if you would take a moment out of your busy days ahead and pray for Olivia’s full recovery too. She needs all the help she can get right now and every bit of the good energy we can send.”
UPDATE, FRIDAY, 7:02 AM: The unit publicist for the Constantin Film production Resident Evil: The Final Chapter just released a statement to Deadline about injuries sustained by 32 year-old British stuntwoman Olivia Jackson. She was seriously injured over the weekend on the set of the film, now shooting in South Africa.
“Olivia Jackson, a stunt performer on Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, was injured during a stunt motorbike action sequence on Saturday just outside Johannesburg. Jackson, who is an experienced and accomplished stunt performer, sustained injury to her left hand and arm, head, face, and shoulder; she is now stable and under medical care. Our thoughts and prayers are with Olivia and her family during her recovery process.”
PREVIOUS, THURSDAY PM: British stuntwoman Olivia Jackson has been seriously injured while filming a stunt in South Africa for the latest installment of the Resident Evil franchise. According to the latest reports, she’s been placed in a medically induced coma with head injuries and a punctured lung. Jackson, 32, was riding a motorcycle at high speed when she crashed into a piece of camera equipment that was filming the chase scene on Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, starring Milla Jovovich.
Her husband, stuntman David Grant, wrote on Facebook that “she’s fighting hard.”
Jackson recently completed work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Her other recent credits include Guardians Of The Galaxy, Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is being directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, who has helmed three other film in the franchise, and produced by Anderson, Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer. The film’s unit publicist did not return inquiries.
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