Widow Sues Over Proof Of Life Death

By Acheron on 2001-04-10 19:10:59

(MrShowbiz) A widow of a stand in extra is suing Warner Brothers and Castle Rock Entertainment over the death of her husband during filming of Proof Of Life in Equador one year ago.

William P. Gaffney, who was standing in for actor David Morse, died April 9, 2000, when a truck he was in ran off the road and into a steep ravine. His widow, Karine S. Gaffney, claims in her suit that the filming conditions were unsafe; specifically, that the road had no protective borders and that the truck used in the scene did not have a working emergency brake or sufficient tread on the tires to navigate the muddy roads.

Morse's character in the film is abducted by terrorists, so his stand-in, Gaffney, was in the back of the truck with a hood over his head and his hands tied behind his back. Gaffney was thrown from the truck after the driver lost control and plunged down the embankment. He died half an hour later of his injuries, the lawsuit claims.

Director Taylor Hackford told The Associated Press at the time that the crash occurred during "an ordinary driving shot of a truck going less than 15 mph on a mountain road. The weather and circumstances were perfect. No one, at this time, has any idea what happened, other than to say it was a freak accident."

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