F9: The Fast Saga producers accept liability for 'life-changing' stunt injuries

The producers of the ninth installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise, titled F9: The Fast Saga, have accepted responsibility for an incident that resulted in severe injuries for a stunt performer.

Joe Watts, an experienced stunt performer who had previously worked on high-budget films such as Solo: A Star Wars Story and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, was engaged in a fight scene rehearsal at Leavesden Studios in 2019. During the rehearsal, he was standing in for Vin Diesel when he was thrown from a balcony, plummeting more than 20 feet onto a concrete floor.

It is alleged that a safety wire, which was intended to prevent Watts from falling, malfunctioned, and due to a deviation from the initial rehearsal, he missed the safety mat. 

As a result of the accident, Watts suffered a fractured skull, traumatic brain injury, psychiatric injury, and shoulder damage. He remained in a coma for five days following the incident. 

According to his legal representatives, he now grapples with a range of cognitive and physical challenges that necessitate specialized support and therapies. His injuries have been described as "life changing."