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Former America’s Got Talent: Extreme contestant sues producers after horror accident left him paralyzed

Home> News> US News

Updated 11:33 13 Oct 2023 GMT+1Published 11:16 13 Oct 2023 GMT+1

Former America’s Got Talent: Extreme contestant sues producers after horror accident left him paralyzed

Jonathan Goodwin is now suing producers of America's Got Talent: Extreme after sustaining horrific injuries

Kit Roberts

Kit Roberts

A former contestant on America's Got Talent: Extreme is suing producers of the show after sustaining horrific injuries.

Jonathan Goodwin had been in a rehearsal for the NBC show in 2021 when he incident occurred.

The daredevil had been due to perform a stunt on the show in which he would be suspended 30ft in the air between two cars. He would then have to escape from a straight jacket before the two cars slammed together.

However, the stunt took a tragic turn and in the resulting incident Goodwin was left in a wheelchair.

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The resulting incident was described in court documents as Goodwin being 'crushed and burned by two exploding motor vehicles'.

Now, Goodwin is suing producers on the show over the incident and allegedly failing to follow proper safety procedures.

Goodwin, whose given name is Jonathan Harvey, sustained serious injuries.

According to court documents these included a dislocated spinal cord which rendered him paraplegic, internal organ injuries, fractures to his legs, ribs, and shoulders, as well as extensive third degree burns.

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Goodwin in a performance with The Illusionists.
Walter McBride/WireImage

The documents say: "As a result of this catastrophic incident, he has suffered, and will continue to suffer, permanent physical, mental, and emotional injuries."

The suit goes into detail on allegations that performers were encouraged to undertake increasingly risky and 'extreme' stunts for the show.

It says: "To deliver on its promise to the network, the producers pushed the talent, including Mr. Harvey, to perform 'extreme' stunts for the show."

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They also allege that producers 'controlled, designed, and interfered with the safe performance of the stunts by creating an illusion of safety'.

It also states: "Because of Defendants' conscious disregard for the safety of others and for their gross, wanton and reckless breaches, Mr. Harvey suffered catastrophic, life-altering injuries."

Goodwin is now seeking damages.
Walter McBride/WireImage

Now Goodwin is seeking damages from the show's production in the wake of the incident exceeding $25,000.

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He has previously answered a question about what went wrong on the show.

When asked by a fan, he responded with a selfie and the message: "I didn't do anything wrong."

In a statement provided to NBC News, Goodwin’s attorney, Stuart Fraenkel, said: “This is yet another example of the entertainment industry putting profits and ratings before safety. It is the Rust and Resident Evil sets once again.

"The producers and staff working on this show could have taken a number of simple steps to ensure Jonathan’s safety.

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"Instead, the production was rushed, chaotic and staffed by a team that lacked the necessary expertise and experience.”

UNILAD has contacted NBC and Fremantle for a comment.

Featured Image Credit: Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images / Instagram/jonathangoodwinofficial

Topics: News, US News, Film and TV

Kit Roberts
Kit Roberts

Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

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