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Austin Amelio as Dwight – AMC/Gene Page(GEORGIA) — The mother of the stuntman John Bernecker, who was fatally injured on the set of AMC’s The Walking Dead in July of 2017, has filed a civil lawsuit over the tragedy.
According to a press release from Susan Bernecker’s attorney Jeff Harris, she is suing various parties, including director Larry Teng; stunt coordinator Monty Simons; and actor Austin Amelio, who plays Dwight on the show.
The complaint was filed in the Gwinnett County Court in Georgia, where the series shoots.
According to TMZ, John Bernecker was to supposed to fall backwards off of a 22-foot tall balcony in a scene with Amelio, but something went wrong — the accomplished stunt performer apparently missed a safety pad by “inches” and fell instead onto a concrete slab.
A press release about the suit also notes that Bernecker’s mother “hopes that John’s death will elevate safety standards for stunt performers in the film and television industry.”
ABC News has obtained a statement from AMC regarding the civil lawsuit.
“Our thoughts and prayers are and have been with John Bernecker, his family, friends and everyone touched by this tragic accident since the moment it occurred,” reads the statement.
“We take the safety of our employees on all of our sets extremely seriously, and meet or exceed industry safety standards. Out of respect for the family, we will have no further comment on this litigation.”
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