INJURED STUNTMAN SUES OVER 'M:I-3' ACCIDENT

Last updated: Thursday, March 30, 2006

INJURED STUNTMAN SUES OVER 'M:I-3' ACCIDENT

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Tom Cruise (C) meets his compatriots at the area where 'Mission Impossible III' is being filmed.

A stuntman who was badly burned on the set of "Mission: Impossible 3" filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Paramount Pictures, Tom Cruise's production company, and others who allegedly were responsible for the incident.

Steven Wheatley, who filed the Los Angeles Superior Court case with his wife, Mary Wheatley, seeks unspecified damages for negligence and other claims arising from the June 6, 2005, accident at the S.O.S. FilmWorks site managed by the Agua Dulce Movie Ranch near Los Angeles.

Wheatley claims that "suddenly and without any prior warning" the explosives for the stunt detonated, engulfing him in a fireball that burned 60% of his body.

In the suit, Wheatley said he was assisting on the stunt, which was meant to simulate a missile attack on a Chevrolet Suburban.

Among other claims, Wheatley accuses the defendants of failing to ensure that there were fire extinguishers at a relatively close distance or fire department officials nearby to help prevent his injuries.

Representatives for Paramount and Cruise's C/W Prods. banner said it was their policy to decline comment on pending litigation.

| Thursday, March 30, 2006

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