'Walking Dead' film company fined for stunt mishap that killed John Bernecker

Bryan Alexander | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption The Walking Dead stuntman gravely injured: Show halts production After a terrible accident on set, The Walking Dead is hitting the pause button on Season 8. John Bernecker fell more than 20 feet onto a concrete floor while working in Georgia, and is in intensive care.

A film company involved with AMC hit The Walking Dead has been fined following a government investigation into a tragic 2017 onset stunt.

John Bernecker, 33, died when he fell more than 20 feet filming a Walking Dead scene on the set outside of Atlanta in July 2017.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor issued a "serious citation" to production company Stalwart Films after investigating the incident, according to a statement released on Friday.

More: Labor officials investigating on-set death of 'Walking Dead' stuntman John Bernecker

OSHA proposed penalties totaling the "maximum allowable" fine of $12,675, for the company’s "failure to provide adequate protection from fall hazards."

“This tragedy should serve as a wake-up call for the entertainment industry,” said Kurt Petermeyer, OSHA Atlanta regional administrator, in the statement. “The entire industry needs to commit to safety practices for actors and stunt people involved in this type of work.”

The production company has 15 business days to appeal or contest the findings to OSHA.

Bernecker fell head-first onto concrete from a balcony in a planned fall at Raleigh Studios in Senoia, Ga., located 35 miles outside of Atlanta. He died days later due to the blunt-force trauma.

Bernecker had more than 90 stunt credits to his name, including blockbusters Logan, Get Out, The Fate of the Furious and the upcoming Black Panther. A résumé posted on iStunt.com listed "high fall" as one of his more than two dozen stunt skills.

Stalwart Films released a statement on Friday in response:

“This was a tragic and terrible accident. We take the safety of our employees extremely seriously on all of our sets and comply with – and frequently exceed – industry safety standards. We disagree with the issuance of this citation and are considering our response.”



