Warner Bros. is being sued by a crew member on The Winchesters accusing the studio of ignoring safety rules when filming during dangerous weather conditions.
The Supernatural prequel show was shooting in Louisiana last year when filming was stalled by a heavy rainstorm, according to the complaint filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. After the crew was instructed to continue filming, first assistant camera operator Bryan DeLorenzo says he was struck by lightning.
The complaint accuses the production of negligence for violating rules pertaining to when a production must shut down if lightning strikes within a certain radius of the set.
After a series of delays due to the weather conditions, director John Showalter allegedly changed the scene for it to be shot in the rain. He directed the crew to continue filming despite DeLorenzo questioning whether it was safe.
“Within ten minutes of this conversation, Plaintiff was standing next to a camera when a loud ‘boom’ occurred,” states the complaint, which is embedded below.
DeLorenzo says he “saw a bright white light and then lightning struck him, knocking him unconscious.” He was sent to the emergency room.
If lightning strikes within a six mile area of the film set, the production must immediately shut down and may not resume until at least 30 minutes after the lightning has passed, according to the suit, which cites safety procedures specific to the production.
Several days before the incident, DeLorenzo says he communicated with Warners’ production coordinator and safety officers about procedures to follow when shooting during bad weather conditions. They allegedly responded by telling him to purchase lightning detector products and weather apps.
DeLorenzo claims compensatory and punitive damages for physical injuries, pain and emotional distress, among other things. In the complaint, he names Warners, The CW Network and executive producer Jensen Ackles, who starred in Supernatural.
Warners didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
