Worst set accident

F

falltime

New member
What is the worst set accident you have personally witnessed?

The worst one I ever witnessed was, a grip was lowering a decent sized 5k light from a high roller. This dumb ass P.A. was hauling ass down the set with two sand bags to please some ass hole, and the PA hit the grip in the leg throwing the grips center of balance off, enough that he actually fell over. The light came flying down (on the stand), amazingly the light didn't fall off or anything, but the light had JUST been striked (turned off) and when the pole came all the way down, the glass burst and made a gun shot sound and shot glass out into the set, and hit an unfortunate gaffer in the leg with extremely hot glass. I've heard worse stories, but that's the worse I've ever seen with my own eyes.

Oh and that PA was fired and I don't think he ever worked on another movie since. Thank God!
 
Re: Worst set accident

;D

I know.  Maybe I'm bitter cause I can't think of anything for this lame 0:05 Film Contest.   >:(  :D

Alright; fine. (shamefully hangs head and crawls back into den)

I am curious as to what kind of 'Pole' it was though. ;D :D 8) :o
 
Re: Worst set accident

I saw the all mightly of bad things a mere ten feet frm me. When I was still a second the focus puller was carrying a Panaflex down a ladder in the rain. You all know where this is going. He slipped, camera went splat (lens first, a really nice zoom lens) and he was badly hurt, could not work for more than six months. I never want to see that again. Makes my stomach sick all over again.
 
Re: Worst set accident

This happens a lot!
Actors, crew, PA, craft services, damn everyone. has tripped over a C-stand or light stand!
Then the lighting screws up and the DP gets mad, his grips want to beat up the person who did it. Actors, blame it on PAs. PAs blames it on Actors. Craft services shuts down, just goes down hill after that.
 
Re: Worst set accident

Poor PA. he just wants someone to notice that he is doing a good job. It's easy to get excited about helping someone of a "higher rank" if you will, you think "maybe, just maybe they will think I'm a hard worker and I wont have be a PA anymore. I think EVERONE should be a PA at least twice on a major set. If anything you get paid to watch and learn from the major players.
 
Re: Worst set accident

Costliest accident I witnessed: Years ago I was a PA on an American Airlines commercial. They had a brand new commercial jet that had to be in NY by noon the next day for it's maiden flight (we were in LA). We were on a night shoot, and they were trying to light the jet like a car. They had a giant silk made as long as the jet and maybe 75 feet wide (costing $25,000) and hung it on concert scaffolding at either end. Two cranes lifted each end and the plane was brought in underneath it. They then put a Musco truck (a big truck with a long arm and stadium type lights) on either end and lighted the plane through the silks.

As soon as the sun went down the wind picked up, and the tearing noises began. Within minutes the silk became a few very long pieces of white streamers flapping in the wind. They went ahead and shot anyway. As sunrise approached, I was wrapping equipment in the hanger and I heard all this screaming over the walkie. I went outside to see what was going on. Apparently someone in the cockpit of the plane or the person driving the little cart that pushed and pulled the plane's font wheel had fallen asleep or something. They had backed the plane into the Musco arm bending the tail to one side and putting a hole in the rudder as wide as the Musco arm. They had us pull all the cube vans along the fence by where we were shooting to try and block the news vans that were showing up.

Needless to say, the plane did not make it's maiden flight. I can't imagine how many millions that one cost.
 
Re: Worst set accident

;D

That is f-ing classic!

- - -

I'll just cut and paste this one into this thread from another where I already posted it...

We were shooting a scene for Nash Bridges where Don Johnson is chasing a van - full of bad guys! - through the City in his 'Cuda.  

At one point during the sequence, the van jumps off of Lefty O'Doul's drawbridge (the one right next to SBC/Pacbell/Verizon Park) and continues on its way.

Well, naturally, this turned into an all-day set-up with a crew of about 60 people milling about.  Precision sequences and vehicle stunts were always treated with special care on bridges - it wasn't uncommon to spend a full day carefully executing seconds of chase footage.

We constructed some special ramps which were attached to the expanded metal deck of the bridge and then raised the bridge about 8' above street level for the jump.

The van was lined up and run slowly down the imagined trajectory a dozen times.  There was much discussion about distances, deflections, tire blowouts and compensation.  

Around this time, other members of the crew noticed that there was a practical light signal pole right in the middle of the stunt path.  Our steward told us to "stay out of it" and so we kept our mouths shut.  Sure enough, they launched that truck off lefty's bridge doing about 40 miles per hour and straight into that light pole.  

Moments after the driver climbed out of the vehicle and celebrated with the crew, he was met by one of San Francisco's finest and given a ticket for wreckless driving.  

Turns out the cop had warned the stunt coordinator about the same traffic signal just before the stunt took place.

- - -

Totally separate story: My old company built apple boxes for several of the studios and had sold about 1500 to Universal for use in their general stock.  Well, about that time, Universal Pictures was in the middle of location photography in Hawaii for Waterworld and I get a panicked phone call from the head of the grip department in California.  

Seems that overnight, a tropical storm / hurricane successfully sank the entire set off the big island sending our grip package and a few Panavision Platinum / Gold cameras to the bottom of the drink.  We got an order for 250 boxes that morning.  Wasn't there, but I think that one ranks near the top of non-lethal set disasters!

;D
 
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