‘The Walking Dead’ Halts Production After Stuntman Badly Injured In On-Set Fall

UPDATED with SAG-AFTRA statement: Production on Season 8 of AMC’s The Walking Dead has been halted temporarily in the wake of a stuntman suffering life-threatening injuries in an on-set fall.

“We are saddened to report that John Bernecker, a talented stuntman for The Walking Dead and numerous other television shows and films, suffered serious injuries from a tragic accident on set,” AMC said in a statement today. “He was immediately transported to an Atlanta hospital, and we have temporarily shut down production. We are keeping John and his family in our thoughts and prayers.”

Sources tell Deadline that Bernecker suffered a serious head injury after falling 30 feet to a concrete floor.

Bernecker’s girlfriend, stuntwoman Jennifer Cocker, posted this on Facebook about his injury: “John deserves to be seen by every neurosurgeon and doctor there is until one of them sees the life we all know he has in him and bring him back to us… THIS ISNT FAIR.”

SAG-AFTRA, which represents stunt professionals, said it is investigating the accident. “We have been informed of a serious injury to a SAG-AFTRA member on the set of The Walking Dead and are investigating the situation,” the union said in a statement. “As always, the safety and security of our members and others on set is of crucial concern to us and we are focused on this in our investigation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the performer and his family.”

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