Henrick Vartanian
The collapse of a platform during filming the of Resident Evil 5 in west Toronto has left 17 people injured, according to the police.
Reported by Toronto Star newspaper, eleven of those 17 were taken to the hospital after falling from the platform while shooting a scene for the sci-fi zombie flick Resident Evil: Retribution at the Cinespace Film Studios at 777 Kipling Ave. north of the Queensway Tuesday morning.
As the performers were moving between two platforms, the wheeled platform is believed to have shifted suddenly, causing a 5 feet fall (that’s 1.5 metres), explains Wendy Drummond of Toronto police department.
One of the actors suffered a cracked rib. Others had more serious injuries.
Paramedics arriving at the scene found their job complicated, because of the fact that most actors were in zombie make up, therefore harder to determine real injuries from the ones created by make up and effects team, for the scene.
“The zombies everywhere had blood and they were pale,” said paramedic Nicole Rodrigues of Toronto EMS. “The initial shock for myself was trying to figure out where the blood was coming from and what blood was real blood. They actually had makeup artists come and remove the makeup on the patients that were stable.”
“It is with regret that we confirm this unfortunate accident. The thoughts of everyone involved in the production are with those who have been injured, and we hope that all have a quick and complete recovery,” the film’s co-producers, Davis Films/Impact Pictures and Constantin Film International said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon.