In the history of film and television, accidents have occurred during shooting. From 1980 to 1990, there were 37 deaths relating to accidents during stunts; 24 of these deaths involved the use of helicopters. Equestrianism has also been a perennial cause. There have been at least 194 serious accidents on American television and film sets from 1990 to 2014, and at least 43 deaths, according to the Associated Press. † indicates accidents and/or incidents resulting in death.
1900s † indicates accidents and/or incidents resulting in death.
† Untitled Clarendon short film (1907). On 17 April 1907, cycle builder Wilhelm Valdemar Zeitz was working on a short film produced by the Clarendon Film Company, which was to also feature the heroic feats of Zeitz's pet dog, a Great Dane named Felix. Zeitz was lying on a train track at Stoat's Nest station when an approaching train hit a sleeper and fatally struck Zeitz in the back and punctured one of his lungs. † Untitled French film (1909). M. Otreps was a professional acrobat who was performing a stunt near the Seine on 14 June 1909. He jumped from a Bellevue pontoon into the river and drowned when he struggled to stay upright in the raging current, and observers neglected to rush to his aid.
1910s † indicates accidents and/or incidents resulting in death.
† Across the Border (1914). On July 1, 1914, while filming on location in Cañon City, Colorado, cast member Grace McHugh was filming a scene where her character was crossing the Arkansas River in a boat. When the boat capsized, camera operator Owen Carter immediately jumped into the river to save her. Carter dragged McHugh onto a sandbar that was reported to be quicksand, resulting in both drowning. Carter received a posthumous Carnegie Hero Award for his rescue efforts. The Birth of a Nation (1915). Future film director Erich von Stroheim fell off a roof and broke two ribs in one scene as an extra. The Girl of the Golden West (1915). Actor House Peters suffered serious burns to his face and hands when a prop pistol exploded upon being fired. † The Captive (1915). During filming of a scene where soldiers were required to break down a locked door, the extras fired at the door using live ammunition to give the scene more realism. Director Cecil B. DeMille then ordered the extras to reload with blanks to film the next shot in which the door is broken down. One of the extras inadvertently left a live round in his rifle which discharged, shooting another extra, Charles Chandler, in the head, killing him instantly. The Woman God Forgot (1917). In one scene, extras were required to be thrown over the side of an Aztec pyramid. The pyramid was built of wood and covered in paper on which sand had been glued to create the appearance of stone. The extras were badly scraped as they slid down the side of the structure. Having expected such injuries, a crew member was waiting at the bottom with a bucket of iodine. The Valley of the Giants (1919). Silent-era star Wallace Reid was badly injured in a train crash during filming in Oregon. His injuries caused him severe pain and the studio supplied him with increasing quantities of morphine so he could keep working. Addicted to morphine and also suffering from alcoholism, Reid died in 1923 at the age of 31. Wet and Warmer (1919). Comedian Billie Ritchie, while working on a short comedy film, was kicked in the stomach by an ostrich.
1920s † indicates accidents and/or incidents resulting in death.
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