A Woking Coroners Court inquest has heard how one of the special effects technicians involved in the production of the latest Batman movie - Batman: The Dark Knight – died when the car he was a passenger in collided with a tree.
The New Zealander suffered fatal car crash injuries in the incident when the driver of the 4x4 vehicle he was in turned sharply into a tree. They had been attempting to film a stunt vehicle being subjected to simulated explosion.
The special effects technician's death was the first in a series of ill-fated incidents that have led some people to nickname the latest Batman movie "The Curse of Batman". Not long after the technician's fatal car crash, one of the films stars, Heath Ledger, died of an accidental prescription drugs overdose. Another of films actors, Morgan Freeman, suffered serious car crash injuries in a Mississippi accident.
The outcome of the coroner's inquest is likely to have a bearing on any compensation claims that are made regarding the incident.
*Where replacement vehicle costs can be recovered from the insurance company of the person who caused the accident.
Where this person is untraceable or uninsured, or where there is a dispute over liability, a replacement vehicle cannot
be provided.
