A crew member working on the Arrow-verse's newest drama Batwoman is now paralyzed after an on-set accident in Vancouver that happened during filming. The unfortunate occurrence involved a production assistant, and happened shortly before the show halted production in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Amanda Smith was working on the set of Batwoman on Wednesday, March 11, when the heavy bucket of a boom lift, or telehandler, was lowered onto her head. A friend of Smith's explained to Vancouver Sun that she was sitting beneath the machine, but was unable to hear it operating due to the traffic on the viaduct above where the filming was taking place. The result of the accident left her with multiple burst vertebrae, among other spinal injuries, leaving her paralyzed and unable to feel anything from the waist down.
A stand-up comedian as well as a Batwoman PA, Amanda Smith underwent emergency surgery for her injuries. There are hopes that with rehabilitation, she may one day regain feeling below the waist.
A Warner Bros. Television spokesperson has released a statement on the Batwoman incident (via Variety), and confirmed the company is cooperating with The Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia and its investigation.
A valued member of the Batwoman production team was recently injured during the preparation of a filming location in Vancouver. Our thoughts are with her for a speedy recovery. We are working closely with WorkSafeBC to provide any and all requested information. We continue to work to protect the health and safety of all our crews, casts and employees.
In the meantime, a GoFundMe has been set up for Amanda Smith to help her financially while she is unable to work. As of this writing, the donations have passed $55,000, but are still short of the $100,000 requested for expenses. Updates from the campaign page show that Smith is grateful for the response from friends and strangers on the internet, and is also appreciative for any support that can be lent during this uncertain time. With production now halted on Batwoman's final Season 1 episodes – Season 2 is still slated to happen – some of Smith's coworkers noted some difficulty in supporting their coworker financially.
The Batwoman accident is one of the more recent incidents that have affected popular action-based series. Back in 2019, a stunt coordinator was killed on the set of Titans when a rehearsed car accident dislodged a piece of metal and struck him in the head. Accidents like that and the one involving Amanda Smith aren't exactly common, but they have happened more than enough times on the sets of both TV shows and movies in recent years. Hopefully, the recent accident will be a learning experience that keeps Batwoman and other shows from experiencing similar incidents in the future.
Batwoman airs on The CW on Sunday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more updates on what's happening in the Arrow-verse, and for all the latest updates happening in the world of television and movies at large.
