John Bernecker, a stuntman from The Walking Dead, has died at Atlanta Medical Center from injuries he suffered in a fall on set on Wednesday.
Bernecker suffered head injuries after he lost his footing and fell 30 feet to a concrete floor while rehearsing a fight scene on a balcony.
The death was confirmed to Deadline by Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk, who said he died of blunt force trauma. Federal workplace monitor OSHA and SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents performers, have launched investigations into the accident.
His death is believed to be the first stunt-related death in the United States in more than 17 years. AMC announced earlier today that it has temporarily halted production of Season 8 of The Walking Dead in the wake of the accident.
Bernecker was also a stuntman in Black Panther, Get Out, Logan, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 and The Fate of the Furious.
Although stunt deaths have diminished over time in the United States, falls have been particularly deadly in the past. In 2000, Brady Michaels was killed while filming I Dare You when he fell from a stationary train in Arizona and hit his head on a rock. And in 1996 Paul Dallas died when he fell 57 feet from a power plant platform and hit his head on a metal railing.
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