Jonathan Goodwin, a stuntman and contestant on “America’s Got Talent,” reportedly filed a lawsuit against NBC for their alleged failure to implement industry safety standards, which allegedly led to Goodwin’s gruesome injuries.
Goodwin alleges NBC cut corners on safety, allegedly leading to his near-death accident, according to TMZ. In the lawsuit, Goodwin reportedly claims NBC failed to hire qualified people to oversee his stunt and allegedly didn’t use a crash test dummy beforehand.
He alleges NBC staff and producers kept upping the ante on stunts to garner more attention from fans but allegedly failed to back up the extreme stunts with proper safety measures, per TMZ. Now, he’s suing for damages.
The legal documents outline a long list of Goodwin’s injuries, including a dislocated spinal cord, loss of his left kidney, 3rd degree burns, fractured legs, ribs and shoulders, per TMZ. Goodwin says he was “catastrophically injured” during an October 21 rehearsal at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia.
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Video footage of the rehearsal shows Jonathan suspended in the air by a wire while wearing a straightjacket. He attempted to free himself from the straightjacket before the cars on either side of him came smashing together.
The cars ultimately ended up crushing and burning Goodwin, before falling 20 feet to the ground and landing violently. (RELATED: Universal Studios Stunt Performer Fails To Surface After Dive, Rushed To Hospital After Five Mins Of CPR)
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The lawsuit comes nearly 2 years after the incident, and cites mental, emotional and physical injuries that have had long-lasting effects on Goodwin’s life, according to TMZ.