It’s not always fun to be an extra on a blockbuster film. Sometimes it can be downright dangerous. This was the case for Gabriela Cedillo who was injured in a freak stunt accident while serving as an extra for the film ‘Transformers 3.’ Now two and a half years since the accident occurred, Paramount has settled with Cedillo for a reported $18.5 million.
The stunt involved an action sequence where stunt cars were towed by cables and were to flip over while the extras would be driving their own cars in the background. One of the cables between two of the cars snapped and whipped around crashing through Cedillo’s windshield and hitting her in the head. Cedillo was immediately airlifted to a nearby hospital but damage to her brain was permanent. Cedillo is now paralyzed on the left side and just had surgery to insert a plate in an area of her skull that was shattered in the accident. According to her brother, Cedillo is able to walk, talk, and feed herself but has significant cognitive impairment.
The incident was investigated by IOSHA (Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration) who cleared Paramount at the time of any fault stating that the incident occurred due to “failure of a weld connecting a car to a cable. The weld was made by a certified welder and all necessary safety precautions were in place. No citations or fines will be issued. This was an unfortunate and unforeseeable accident.”
Originally, Paramount had released a statement saying that they would “continue to provide all the help” they could to the Cedillo family, but as time went on, this proved not to be the case.
The Cedillo family decided to sue but the case has now been kept out of court with a settlement of $18.5 million that both sides have agreed upon.
The money is intended to take care of Cedillo’s nursing and rehabilitation costs for the rest of her life and to compensate her for her inability to work or have children. Cedillo is currently an inpatient at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.
Source: ABC News
