5 Film Sets In Which People Were Actually Killed

The recent death of director of photography Halyna Hutchins on a film set in Santa Fe is a reminder of how heartwrenching accidents can occur on film sets. Actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun that killed Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza while filming the movie Rust. Behind the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, there are terrifying incidents of such accidents on movie and television sets where cast and crew and stunt members are injured or, worse... killed. There have been quite a few incidents that have taken place over the last several decades. Here are a few:

1. The Crow

Brandon Lee was the son of the martial-arts star and actor Bruce Lee. Tragedy struck the then 28-year-old in March 1993 during the filming of the gothic fantasy movie The Crow. He was shot at with a gun that was supposed to fire blank cartridges, reports The New York Times. The bullet pierced through Lee's abdomen, damaging several organs and lodging in his spine. He was taken to the hospital, where he underwent six hours of surgery in an attempt to save his life, but sadly, he passed away. There was no evidence of criminal wrongdoing, and no charges were filed.

2. The Expendables 2

The movie features a number of former action stars, including Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Norris. A stuntman passed away on the set of The Expendables 2 while filming in Bulgaria, and another stuntman was injured but later was in stable condition. The incident took place while the two were in a stunt that involved an explosion. According to Deadline, Nu Image/Millennium Films released a statement saying, "Our deepest condolences go to the family of Kun Lieu. His passing is tragic. Our sympathies also go to Nuo Sun, who was seriously injured as a result of the same explosion. We have been informed his condition has stabilized. He has been transported to Munich, Germany, where he is receiving top medical care from the best specialists."

3. Twilight Zone: The Movie

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) starred actor Vic Morrow as a bigot. Sadly, a helicopter crash on the Los Angeles set of the film killed Morrow and two child actors, Renee Shinn Chen and My-ca Dinh Lee, in July 1982. According to The New York Times, a scene depicting the Vietnam War involved explosives detonating, and this hit the tail rotor of the helicopter. The main rotor of the helicopter struck and killed Morrow and the children as the aircraft fell into a river on the set.

4. The Dark Knight

Conway Wickliffe, 41, a father of two from New Zealand, died while shooting a stunt for Batman sequel, The Dark Knight. He was operating a camera and leaning out of the window of a car when it crashed into a tree at 20mph. He was shooting a stunt car traveling parallel to his vehicle as he was in the backseat. According to The Guardian, he suffered severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene at the QinetiQ site at Longcross near Chertsey, Surrey.

5. Cover Up

According to EW, 26-year-old actor Jon-Erik Hexum fatally shot himself in 1984 with a .44 Magnum pistol on the set of his CBS series Cover Up. He had been sleeping during delays while filming, and when he found out that there were more, he reportedly held the gun to his head and joked, "Can you believe this crap?" before pulling the trigger. He was rushed to the hospital, and despite five hours of surgery, he remained comatose until he was pronounced brain-dead on Oct. 18 that year.