The widow of a "Proof of Life" stand-in actor killed in an Ecuador crash last year has sued the studios, claiming negligence for hiring a local man to drive an unsafe truck on a mountain road.
William Gaffney Jr., a 29-year-old stand-in for actor David Morse, was thrown from the truck and killed when the driver lost control of the vehicle on a narrow dirt road.
Karine Gaffney claimed in her Superior Court suit filed Friday that Castle Rock Entertainment and Warner Bros. studios were negligent in hiring local worker Alvaro Valencia Yepez to drive a truck the suit said was "in an unreasonably dangerous condition."
The front tires were bald, the emergency brake didn't work and the clutch and steering mechanism were in poor working condition, the suit said.
Additionally, the suit said, "The road had no railings or protective barriers from the drop-offs."
Gaffney was an English teacher who lived in Quito with his wife, also an English teacher. He volunteered to work as a stand-in when the Russell Crowe-Meg Ryan movie "Proof of Life" began shooting in the area, said Paulette Osorio, a spokeswoman for Castle Rock.
Gaffney was riding in the back of a pickup with other locally hired extras and production assistants when the truck veered off the road and tumbled some 450 feet into a gorge.
"This was not a stunt, simply an ordinary driving shot of a truck going less than 15 mph on a mountain road," director Taylor Hackford said in a statement. "The weather and circumstances were perfect.
"No one, at this time, has any idea what happened other than to say it was a freak accident."
Warner Bros. spokeswoman Barbara Brogliatti referred calls Tuesday to Castle Rock, where Osorio said company officials hadn't seen the suit.
"We continue to express our deepest regret to the Gaffney family for this accident and we are very hopeful we can things out," she said.
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