John Bernecker, the stuntman who suffered massive head injuries in a fall Wednesday on the set of The Walking Dead, has died at Atlanta Medical Center.
The death was confirmed to Deadline by Coweta County Coroner Richard Hawk, who said Bernecker died of blunt force trauma at Atlanta Medical Center July 12 at 6:30 PM ET. A source at the hospital had earlier told Deadline Bernecker had been placed on a ventilator while his family made arrangements, and it was turned off on Thursday.
It’s believed to be the first stunt-related death in the United States in more than 17 years. AMC said earlier today that it temporarily halted production on Season 8 of the zombie apocalypse series in the wake of the accident.
Sources say Bernecker and an actor were rehearsing a fight scene that was supposed to end with a routine fall from a balcony, but he lost his footing and fell 30 feet to a concrete floor. He was pronounced brain-dead at the hospital and was taken off life support today.
