‘America’s Got Talent: Extreme’ Contestant Files Lawsuit After Stunt Left Him Paralyzed
on Oct 13, 2023
NBC is facing a hefty lawsuit after America’s Got Talent: Extreme contestant Jonathan Goodwin almost died while performing a stunt on set.
In the lawsuit filed against producers Fremantle and Syco Entertainment, along with NBCUniversal and more, Jonathan Goodwin alleges that production “controlled, designed and interfered with the safe performance of stunts.” He adds that the America’s Got Talent: Extreme cut corners when it came to safety and he nearly lost his life as a result.
According to TMZ, the escape artist/stuntman is calling out NBC for hiring “unqualified people to oversee and design the stunt” and failed to adhere to industry safety standards. He also stated that the stunt wasn’t tested properly before his rehearsal.
Goodwin is suing for negligence and peculiar risk, is demanding a jury trial and seeking damages exceeding $25,000.
Jonathan Goodwin’s horrifying accident took place on October 14, 2021, during rehearsal at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The stunt involved the daredevil wearing a straightjacket and being hung upside-down. Goodwin was supposed to free himself from the straightjacket and fall to a safety mattress below before suspended cars on either side of him were released. But, he wasn’t able to free himself in time and was sandwiched between the cars which then burst into flames. Goodwin fell to the ground, missing the mattress below and hit is head on the ground.
In a podcast interview nearly seven months later, Goodwin’s fiancee, actress Amanda Abbington, detailed his horrific injuries.
“He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs,” Abbington told Out to Lunch podcast host Jay Rayner. “Third-degree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.”
Abbington added that the Goodwin was now paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
“Unless there’s a kind of stem cell surgery or that thing that Elon Musk is designing with the little chip, he’ll be like that forever,” the Sherlock actress said.
A year after he was hospitalized, Goodwin wrote on social media that there were still questions surrounding the life-altering accident.
“A year ago today (oct 14th) I had an accident which resulted in very severe and permanently life changing injuries. A year on the cause of the accident has yet to be determined although I know I did everything I was supposed to do. I’m sure at some point we will find an answer,” he wrote.
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Jonathan Goodwin appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in 2019 and made it to the finals. He ultimately earned an 9th place finish. A year later he competed on Season 15 of America’s Got Talent and made it to the semi-finals.
