Foodles Production (UK) Ltd. admits to breaching workplace health and safety legislation that led to an accident and seriously injured the 74-year-old actor.
- Jul 27, 2016
AceShowbiz - "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" production company has pleaded guilty over the on-set accident that seriously injured Harrison Ford. Foodles Production (UK) Ltd., Walt Disney's subsidiary responsible for the movie's filming in the country, admits to breaching workplace health and safety legislation that led to the accident.
The 74-year-old actor, who reprised his role as Han Solo in the blockbuster film, suffered a broken leg and other injuries after he was struck by a hydraulic door of the Millennium Falcon during the filming at the famed Pinewood Studios Buckinghamshire near London in June 2014.
According to prosecutor Andrew Marshall, the door "could have killed somebody" if the emergency stop button had not been pressed in time. "The fact that it didn't was because an emergency stop was activated," he said. A spokesman for Britain's Health and Safety Executive also said similar thing, adding that the power of the door's drive system was "comparable to the weight of a small car."
The HSE welcomed the guilty plea but said that it had been a foreseeable accident. The spokesman explained, "The British film industry has a world renowned reputation for making exceptional films. Managing on-set risks in a sensible and proportionate way for all actors and staff - regardless of their celebrity status - is vital to protecting both on-screen and off-screen talent, as well as protecting the reputation of the industry."
The spokesman added that the company had fully cooperated with the investigation. Foodles said in a statement, "The safety of our cast and crew was always a top priority throughout the production." The company is due to be sentenced on August 22 at Aylesburry crown court.
