A stagehand was killed on the Toronto set of the Samuel L. Jackson thriller “Jumper” when frozen sand, earth and ice from an exterior set rained on workers below.
David Ritchie, 56, a veteran set dresser, died instantly Thursday, a second man was sent to hospital with serious head and shoulder injuries, while a third man escaped harm.
Staff Sgt. Joanne Verbeek, a police officer with Toronto’s 51 Division, that sand and earth frozen to the wall for exterior design came unstuck as the set was being torn down and crushed Ritchie, causing his death.
“It was just an unfortunate, fluke accident,” Verbeek said.
Ritchie was pronounced dead at the scene by police and rescue workers who were called to the outdoor location in the city's waterfront Portlands district.
Toronto shooting on the film wrapped Jan. 15. The film’s director, Doug Liman, and his cast, including Hayden Christensen, have since moved on to Tokyo for additional location shooting.