Stuntwoman Olivia Jackson sues Resident Evil producers over serious injury

Stuntwoman Olivia Jackson is reportedly suing producers of Residence Evil: The Final Chapter after she suffered major injuries during motorcycle stunt on the sets of the film in 2015. Olivia Jackson was serving as Milla Jovovich’s stunt double on the most recent entry in the successful franchise at the time. The incident was too gruesome as her left arms had to be amputated.

According to Movieweb, Jackson was only supposed to shoot a simple fight scene but she later told to perform a complicated stunt requiring her to ride a motorcycle resulted in she had to sustain gruesome injuries.

If the report is to be believed, Jackson is suing Bolt Pictures, producers Tannhauser Gate and Jeremy Bolt, as well as director Paul W.S. Anderson for breach of contract.

Jackson claimed that she was told that her medical expenses were supposed to be fully covered. This was clearly not the case. According to reports, Jackson will no longer be able to perform a stunt again.

The Hollywood Reporter stated, “As a result, the camera smashed into Plaintiff, slicing through the bone of her forearm and tearing the flesh off her cheek, leaving her teeth exposed. The blow was so forceful that it twisted Plaintiff’s shoulder blade backward, ripping-out five nerves connected into her spinal column at the root. Among other catastrophic injuries, which are too numerous to even summarize here, Plaintiff’s left arm had to be amputated and cerebral spinal fluid seeped from an opening created by the nerves tearing from her spinal column. Plaintiff then had to be placed into a coma while doctors performed life-saving surgery.”

It is yet to be mentioned how much Jackson is seeking from the producers of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. The report further added that Jackson wouldn’t have taken the job had she known there would be no liability insurance coverage for her injury claim. In part, because she had already booked a job on Wonder Woman.

“Had such facts been known to Plaintiff, she never would have agreed to perform The Final Chapter, or alternatively, would have secured additional insurance on her own. She had already secured the role of stunt double for a leading cast member in Wonder Woman, and didn’t need the work,” the report added.

Talking about the box office collection of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, it grossed $312 million internationally, and the franchise has minted over $1.2 billion overall. Olivia Jackson says the producers were “elevating financial considerations over safety.”