Bad injuries in Lord of the Rings series: Amazon rejects all guilt

THE LORD OF THE RINGS SERIES

July 05, 2021 at 8:42 pm

Doesn’t the streaming giant Amazon take the security of the “Lord of the Rings” series seriously enough? A number of injuries suggest this, as Netzwelt reveals to you.

• Some stunt people got seriously injured in Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” series.
• A harrowing report throws a bad light on the safety standards of production.
• What is it about the allegations?

In New Zealand is currently under construction Amazons epic “The Lord of the Rings” series. But a harrowing report by the New Zealand Herald from last weekend raises fears that Amazon’s mega-production does not take the safety of stunt people seriously enough. What happened?

Some stunt women and men apparently sustained serious injuries on the gigantic set of the “Lord of the Rings” series. Dayna Grant, known from “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Wonder Woman 1984”, needs brain surgery after suffering a head and spine injury in March, for which crowdfunding and the support of “Xena” star Lucy Lawless raised more than 100,000 New Zealand dollars.

The Australian stuntwoman Elissa Cadwell was injured in February 2020 and received 500,000 New Zealand dollars from Amazon, which, however, does not constitute an admission of guilt. Stuntman Thomas Kiwi, on the other hand, left production after a shoulder injury and says he has not worked since then.

The New Zealand Herald, citing anonymous sources, reports one on the set “unsafe work environment” and concerns from employees that Amazon does not take seriously.

Amazon responds to criticism

The shipping and streaming giant Amazon has since responded to the criticism and stated: “Amazon Studios take the health, physical and emotional well-being of cast and crew extremely seriously. […] Any allegation or report that on-set activities are unsafe or out of regulation, are completely wrong. “

How serious are the allegations on Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series?

It should be clear to every film and series fan that stunt people always live dangerously despite the best safety precautions. In the case of Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” series, the well-known branch sheets Variety and Deadline made further inquiries and researched into the allegations mentioned at the beginning.

What stands out from the New Zealand Herald report, for example, is that the serious injury suffered by stunt woman Dayna Grant was not reported to the relevant authorities because she was not was assessed as serious enough.

As Variety points out, the tragically injured Dayna Grant was initially diagnosed with “only” a “mild concussion”. The experienced performer then returned to work and participated in several other productions,

before the brain injury was diagnosed. It is currently unclear whether the dangerous aneurysm actually comes from the set of the “Lord of the Rings” series.

In the case of stuntwoman Elissa Cadwell, who received $ 500,000 from Amazon, the money should go towards medical expenses and return home, according to a Variety source.

Overall, Amazon claims, the injury rate on the “Lord of the Rings” series is low, given 16,200 working days of stunt people, and most injuries were not serious.

Still, it is to be hoped that the safety of the stunt people – even in the face of it of the massive $ 465 million budget for Season 1 – is not taken lightly and money is saved here at the wrong end.