Accidents happen, right?
As film lovers, we like to think of our favorite Hollywood film stars as being virtually invincible.
How could something bad ever happen to something like them?
After all, aren't there countless regulations and rules set in place that are meant to keep
them safe and sound while on set?
While it's true that generally speaking, working as a Hollywood actor or crew member is a fairly
safe job, sometimes tragedy strikes when you least expect it.
That's especially true for stars that insist upon doing all of their own stunt work.
Having a mindset where we aggrandize celebrities and elevate them to some kind of mythical
status can, at times, make it difficult for us to imagine anything awful ever happening
to them.
But over the years, horrific accidents have occasionally occurred on the set of high-profile
films that have resulted in injury, feuds, and even sometimes death.
What, you don't think the Grim Reaper has his eyes on celebrities as well?
Mortality is something that we're all going to have to face someday.
At least actors and stuntmen that died doing what they love most got to achieve some of
their goals before their time was cut short.
Truth be told, movie sets can sometimes be dangerous places.
It doesn't matter how many regulations are put into place to try and keep everyone out
of harm's way.
It's unpreventable.
People are just sometimes in the wrong place at the wrong time.
And as far as the human factor goes, sometimes people just flat-out make mistakes.
Unfortunately, these blunders can occasionally have disastrous consequences.
In this video, we'll be covering some of the most tragic injuries and accidents that occurred
on film sets in the 1980s.
Make sure you stick around to the end to learn how one Hollywood actor almost died during
the production of a 1989 film and then took his frustrations out on the film's director
by punching him in the face.
Stay tuned to find out who that was.
The Dukes Of Hazzard – 1980
While rehearsing a chase scene for the film, eight crew members were severely injured when
a camera truck flipped over.
Sadly, one man, camera operator Rodney Mitchell, was killed in the incident.
Magnum P.I. - 1980
Just five months after Mitchell's death on the set of Dukes of Hazzard, cameraman Robert
Van Der Kar was killed in a helicopter crash in Hawaii during the filming of an episode
of Magnum P.I.
That's Incredible – 1981
Here we have an early American reality show that featured people performing stunts and
incredible feats of strength and endurance.
Given its premise, it's not surprising then that the show managed to document several
injuries and accidents throughout its run.
While attempting to jump over two cars hurtling towards him at over 100 miles per hour, stunt
motorcyclist, Steve Lewis, sustained rather severe foot and knee injuries.
Just a few months later, another stunt motorcyclist named Gary Wells flubbed a landing while attempting
to jump over the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Vegas.
He ended up colliding into a parking lot, and in the process, he tore the main artery
of his heart, broke both of his legs, fractured his pelvis, and suffered a concussion.
Fortunately, he managed to survive that horrific accident.
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Das Boot - 1981
In case you've never heard of this film, it was a West German World War II flick directed
by Wolfgang Peterson that was released both as a theatrical release as well as being aired
on television as a miniseries.
While shooting a scene involving a naval vessel that got caught in a violent storm, actor
Jan Fedder slipped and was nearly swept out to sea.
Mid-shot, Actor Bernd Tauber who had noticed that Fedder was suddenly nowhere to be found,
cried out 'Man Over Board', jumped into action, and helped him get to safety.
At first, Wolfang Peterson didn't realize that the incident wasn't intentional and merely
assumed that Jan was improvising.
He even suggested that they film the scene one more time.
Fedder had to be hospitalized after being rescued, and his role had to be partially
reworked since he was bed-ridden for a portion of the film's production.
The footage of the accident was ultimately used in the film and is arguably one of its
most memorable moments.
Raiders of the Lost Ark – 1981
John Rhys-Davies, the actor who played the minor character Sallah in the film, was nearly
perished after contracting cholera and running a fever of 105 degrees Fahrenheit while filming
on location in Tunisia.
The Cannonball Run – 1981
After being thrown from a vehicle in a crash, stuntwoman, Heidi Von Beltz was left a quadriplegic.
She ended up passing away 35 years after the incident at the age of 59, which means she
was only 24 when she sustained that life-changing injury.
Roar – 1981
One of the most controversial and infamous films ever made, Roar revolved around a wildlife
preservationist whose family comes out to visit him in Africa only to be greeted by
his collection of wild animals, which included lions, tigers, other big cats.
Due to the obscenely large number of untrained animals featured in the film, there were almost
50 reported injuries during the film's production, although it's been estimated that more than
70 people in total were harmed during the making of the film.
Cinematographer Jan de Bont was scalped by a lion and needed 220 stitches.
Lead Actress Tippi Hedren suffered a broken leg and several scalp lacerations after she
was thrown off an elephant.
She was also bitten on the neck by a lion and needed 38 stitches.
Tippi's daughter, Melanie Griffith, was also attacked on set and needed 50 stitches on
her face.
John Marshall likewise was bitten by a lion and needed 56 stitches.
First Blood – 1982
Action movie star Sylvester Stallone sustained several injuries during the production of
this Rambo film.
He broke several ribs while jumping off a cliff and landing in a grouping of trees,
suffered bruises to his back after filming 19 takes of a scene where he was clubbed by
a nightstick, and injured his hand, and almost lost a thumb on an exploding gunfire squib
during a fight scene in an abandoned mine.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom – 1984
While filming in London in June of 1983, Harrison Ford herniated a disc in his back, which forced
him to have to fly back to LA to have an operation.
Fortunately, he made a full recovery from his injury and returned back to the filming
location six weeks later.
Pepsi Commercial – 1984
While shooting a television ad with his musical siblings at the Shrine Auditorium in LA, a
malfunctioning pyrotechnic went off a bit too early and set the King of Pop's hair on
fire.
He ended up sustaining second and third-degree burns to his scalp and body.
The musical artist ended up suing PepsiCo and was awarded $1.5 million in damages.
He then took that money and donated it to Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California,
to help found the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.
It's speculated that this accident led to Jackson's addiction to opiates and his obsession
with cosmetic surgery.
Police Story – 1985
Martial Arts aficionado and actor Jackie Chan suffered third-degree burns to his hands,
almost broke two vertebrae, dislocated his pelvis, and came dangerously close to being
paralyzed during a pole-sliding scene in the film.
Top Gun – 1986
On September 16, 1985, stunt pilot Art Scholl's Pitts S-2 camera-plane crashed right off the
coast of southern California near the town of Carlsbad.
Sadly, he died in that accident and his plane nor his body was never recovered.
Full Metal Jacket – 1987
Actor Vincent D'Onofrio intentionally gained a significant amount of weight in preparation
for portraying an overweight Marine Corps recruit in the film.
During the filming of a boot camp scene, he twisted his knee, injuring it so severely
that he needed to have reconstructive surgery.
Die Hard – 1988
Bruce Willis was injured after firing a prop gun loaded with extra-loud blanks from underneath
a table.
He ended up losing approximately 2/3rds of his hearing.
The Abyss – 1989
Actor Ed Harris almost lost his life while filming an underwater scene in this James
Cameron-directed science fiction film.
Although he yelled out 'CUT' when he ran out of air, the film's production team didn't
give him oxygen until after he had already passed out.
The traumatic event was so jarring that Harris had a mental breakdown in his car en route
to his place of residence.
Following the incident, Harris also reportedly punched James Cameron in the face.
The Karate Kid Part III – 1989
Actor Sean Kanan, best known for his roles in several Soap Operas such as The Bold and
the Beautiful and General Hospital, suffered internal bleeding after shooting twenty takes
of being thrown out of a door and crashing to the ground on his stomach.
Just four days after filming the scene, the actor collapsed in a Las Vegas hotel and had
to be rushed to the hospital.
It was then found that he had nearly two quarts of blood in his abdomen.
The Sword of Tipu Sultan – 1989
While this made-for-television Indian film is fairly obscure, it's somewhat notorious
for the fact that a grand total of 82 extras and crew members were killed during its production.
All of those deaths happened when a fire broke out inside the film studio, leaving everyone
inside trapped.
To this day, the film holds the record for the largest number of on-set deaths in film
history.
The movie's director and lead actor, Sanjay Khan, sustained severe burns to much of his
body and spent more than a year in the hospital recovering from his injuries.
So, did you ever realize how dangerous it could be to work in the film industry?
After watching this video, you probably have a newfound appreciation for whatever mundane
job that you might have.
At least sitting behind a desk, working a cash register, or crunching numbers at a financial
institution likely don't run the risk of being mauled by a tiger, drowned at sea, or burned
alive in a fiery blaze.
What was the most shocking injury you learned about in this video?
Let us know in the comments section below.
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Be safe out there!