In the history of film and television, accidents have occurred during shooting, such as cast or crew fatalities or serious accidents that plagued production. From 1980 to 1990, there were 37 deaths relating to accidents during stunts; 24 of these deaths involved the use of helicopters.
1910s
Across the Border (1914). On 1 July 1914, while filming on location in Cañon City, Colorado, cast member Grace McHugh was filming a scene where her character was crossing the Arkansas River in a boat. When the boat capsized, camera operator Owen Carter immediately jumped into the river to save her. He dragged her onto a sandbar that was reported to be quicksand. The rest of the film crew watched helplessly as they were sucked into the sandbar and drowned. Carter received a posthumous Carnegie Hero Award for his rescue efforts. The Birth of a Nation (1915). Future film director Erich von Stroheim fell off a roof and broke two ribs in one scene as an extra. The Girl of the Golden West (1915). Actor House Peters Sr. suffered serious burns to his face and hands when a prop pistol exploded upon being fired. The Captive (1915). During filming of a scene where soldiers were required to break down a locked door, the extras fired at the door using live ammunition to give the scene more realism. Director Cecil B. DeMille then ordered the extras to reload with blanks in order to film the next shot in which the door is broken down. One of the extras inadvertently left a live round in his rifle which discharged, shooting another extra, Charles Chandler, in the head, killing him instantly. The Woman God Forgot (1917). In one scene, extras were required to be thrown over the side of an Aztec pyramid. The 'pyramid' was built of wood and covered in paper on which sand had been glued to create the appearance of stone. The extras were badly scraped as they slid down the side of the structure. Having expected such injuries, a crew member was waiting at the bottom with a bucket of iodine. The Valley of the Giants (1919). Silent-era star Wallace Reid was badly injured in a train crash during filming in Oregon. His injuries caused him severe pain and the studio supplied him with increasing quantities of morphine so he could keep working. Addicted to morphine and also suffering from alcoholism, Reid died in 1923 at the age of 31. Wet and Warmer (1919). Comedian Billie Ritchie, while working on a short comedy film, was kicked in the stomach by an ostrich.