Jury Awards $8.6 million in Death of 'Walking Dead' Stuntman

Monday, December 23, 2019 | 0

A Georgia jury awarded $8.6 million in civil damages to a stuntman who fell to his death on the set of the AMC zombie drama the "Walking Dead," according to a report by NBC.

John Bernecker died in July 2017 while shooting a scene for the television show in Senoia, Georgia. According to the report, one of the issues in the case was whether Bernecker was an employee of production company Stalwart Films. If he was an employee, workers' compensation would have been the only remedy available to his family.

The jury concluded Bernecker was an independent contractor and his parents could pursue civil damages in the case.

Jurors examined a frame-by-frame video of the accident. Bernecker was supposed intended to fall over a railing and off a balcony onto a thick pad 21 feet below. As he flipped over, Bernecker grabbed onto the railing with his left hand, changing his trajectory and causing him to swing back towards the wall. He ended up missing his mark by nine feet, landing on his head on the cement floor. Two days later he died at the hospital.

Jurors found that AMC Networks' entity, TWD 8, and its production company, Stalwart Films, were negligent. The jury said AMC Networks was not liable.

The jury also said punitive damages were not warranted in the case.