'America's Got Talent: Extreme' contestant files lawsuit over stunt that left him paralyzed
A contestant for America's Got Talent: Extreme is suing the show over a stunt on the set that left him paralyzed.
PEOPLE Magazine reported on Saturday, Oct. 14 that Jonathan Goodwin (real name: Jonathan Harvey) filed a complaint against Fremantle, Syco Entertainment, Marathon Productions, Walk About Inc., T-Minus Productions, NBCUniversal, and stunt coordinator T.J. White in Los Angeles for negligence and peculiar risk in connection to a stunt gone wrong in October 2021. He is also demanding a jury trial.
Official documents state that the defendants "failed to implement industry safety standards, including, but not limited to, designing and modifying a stunt in a manner that made it highly likely to fail, hiring incompetent individuals to oversee and control the safety of the design and execution of the stunt, improperly controlling the design and execution of the stunt, failing to test the stunt without a live person after modifications were made, failing to implement and require adequate redundancies and suitable airbags (safety nets), and failing to ensure that adequate safeguards were taken to prevent injuries."
"Because of defendants' conscious disregard for the safety of others and for their gross wanton and reckless breaches, Mr. Harvey suffered catastrophic, life-altering injuries," the lawsuit read.
According to PEOPLE, the AGT: Extreme participant got rushed to the hospital two years ago after he tried to escape in between two vehicles suspended 70 feet in the air and ended up in the middle of both cars, which later exploded into flames. He also failed to land on the air mattress that was supposed to keep him safe and hit his head on the ground.
The failed stunt left him with life-changing injuries, including "multiple" broken bones in his legs as well as cuts and burns "all over his face," TMZ reported.
He was released from the hospital four months later.