Vin Diesel’s stunt double for the film Fast & Furious 9 , a stunt performer named Joe Watts, has been seriously injured after an accident on-set, reports The Daily Mail .
The stunt man reportedly fell 30 feet and landed on his head.
The Daily Mail reports that Watts has been placed in a medically induced coma during this recovery. They also report that Watts’ girlfriend described his condition on Facebook as “stable” and that he is under close watch at the hospital.
Watts was also a teacher.
The Creative Academy, the school where Watts teaches, said it was “saddened” by his accident. A spokesperson for the academy said , “We hope he makes a speedy recovery and send our best wishes to Joe and his family.”
A studio spokesperson confirmed an injury had occurred.
“We had an injury on the set of Fast 9 today in Leavesden with one of our stuntmen,” the studio said in a statement to Deadline . “We have halted production for the day to focus on this situation.”
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Production has continued to be halted.
“Police were called shortly before noon today [Monday] following an incident at Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire,” said a spokesperson for the Hertfordshire Constabulary.
The statement continued to describe the incident and their response.
“It was reported that a man had been injured while working at the location and sustained serious injuries. The air ambulance attended and police officers are currently on scene to assist and carry out initial inquiries.”
Watts’ fiancee has broken her silence on social media regarding the accident.
According to The Sun , Watt’s fiancee wrote, “Joe has suffered a serious head injury and is in an induced coma. He is stable and is being monitored closely throughout the night.”
“I love him so much and my heart is shattered.”
However, Watts’ fiancee ended on an optimistic note, saying, “He has all his family and friends by his side to get him through this!”
This isn’t the first serious accident to befall one of Diesel’s stunt performers.
Diesel’s stunt double Harry O’Connor was tragically killed while filming a parasailing scene for the 2002 action film, xXx .
‘Fast and Furious 9’ is scheduled for release in 2020.
It is unknown at this time whether this incident and the subsequent halt in production will affect the film’s release date.
We wish Joe Watts a speedy recovery.
