John Bernecker, a stuntman on The Walking Dead, has died after sustaining “serious injuries” on the set of the show in Georgia.
Bernecker fell more than six metres and hit the concrete below, according to various reports,
According to Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk, Bernecker died at Atlanta Medical Center on Wednesday night of blunt force trauma due to his fall.
Variety reports that he was placed on a ventilator after the accident, which was turned off on Thursday.
The coroner told Entertainment Weekly that Bernecker was pronounced dead at Atlanta Medical Center on Wednesday, July 12.
AMC released a statement yesterday explaining Bernecker was rushed to a hospital as production was temporarily halted.
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“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. “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.”
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Bernecker performed stunt work on numerous films over the past few years, including Marvel’s Black Panther, Rampage, The Fate of the Furious, Logan, The Hunger Games and Get Out.
Transformers: The Last Knight director Michael Bay released a statement in support of the cast and crew of The Walking Dead and the “Stunt Community.”
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A spokesperson for SAG-AFTRA released a statement at the time of the incident.
“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 statement read. “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.”
According to Deadline, this accident is “believed to be the first stunt-related death in the United States in 17 years.”
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