Mother Of Killed 'Walking Dead' Stuntman Files Lawsuit

GWINNETT, GA — The mother of "The Walking Dead" stuntman John Bernecker has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against AMC network and other parties, according to news reports. Six months ago, Bernecker, 33, died after taking a 30-foot fall during filming at Raleigh Studios in Senoia, where the show is filmed outside Atlanta.

“John was a highly professional, veteran stunt performer who always had your back if you were working with him,” his mother, Susan Bernecker, told reporters. “I want answers about what happened to John on the set of ‘The Walking Dead,’ and I also plan to have the back of other stunt performers across the industry."

The civil lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Gwinnett County. The defendants in Bernecker's suit include Stalwart Films, LLC; TWD Productions VIII; AMC Film Holdings, LLC; director Larry Teng; stunt coordinator Monty Simons; and actor Austin Amelio.

“We plan to hold all responsible parties accountable for the tragic death of John Bernecker, a remarkably talented stunt performer and actor who had a bright future,” said attorney Jeff Harris, according to media reports. “I’m confident that the truth about what transpired on the set of ‘The Walking Dead’ on July 12, 2017 will finally be revealed.”

The lawsuit claims there was no ambulance on site when Bernecker fell and that it took 30 minutes for him to be evacuated by helicopter for medical treatment. Susan Bernecker argues producers didn't follow industry standards in preparing for the stunt, failing to place adequate padding in the fall area. She is seeking unspecified damages and punitive damages in her son's death, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Earlier this month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Stalwart Films $12,675 for Bernecker's death, which was ruled an accident, the newspaper reports.

Bernecker was supposed to fall from a balcony railing onto layers of padding, but missed the target by inches, according to The Hollywood Reporter. According to a sheriff's report, Bernecker signaled he was ready to begin the stunt, "but did not appear to get good separation from the balcony." He attempted to abort the fall by grabbing the railing with both hands, but fell.

In July, Patch reported that Bernecker was a nearly 10-year veteran who had appeared in films including "Black Panther," "The Fate of the Furious" and "Logan."

His death is the most recent in Georgia's busy film and TV industry. Last July, more than three years after a CSX Transportation train hit and killed crew member Sarah Jones on the movie set of "Midnight Rider," a since-shelved biography of the late singer Gregg Allman, a Savannah jury ordered the company to pay $11 million to the set worker's family. CSX officials reportedly allowed filming near the railroad bridge where Jones and half a dozen others were struck.

But the parents of Jones argued the railroad company was liable for their daughter's death because CSX workers didn't warn crews that the film crew could be on the train trestle the day of the accident. Attorneys for the Jones family convinced jurors that multiple emails from Film Allman, LLC production managers and CSX emails weren't shared, or weren't followed to exercise caution.

The movie's director was sentenced to spend two years in jail for the death of the camera assistant.

Photo courtesy AMC