Actress Taylor Hickson Sues Indie Film Producers Over On-Set Accident

Taylor Hickson has filed a lawsuit against production company Incident Productions, after a horrific accident on the set of Ghostland left her with a career-altering facial scar.

While filming in Canada for the indie horror production in December 2016, Hickson was performing an “emotionally charged scene” when the film’s director, Pascal Laugier, asked her to pound harder and harder on a door while her face was right against its glass pane.

According to the suit filed last Friday with the Queen’s Bench in Winnipeg: “In the course of shooting the scene, the director, consistently told [Hickson] to pound harder on the glass with her fists.”

“At one point during the filming of the scene, and after being asked to increase the strength with which [she] pounded on the glass, [she] asked one of the producers and the director if it was safe to do so. That producer and the director both replied in the affirmative.” Laugier is not named as a defendant in the suit.

Hickson was propelled through the door after the glass shattered during one of the takes, the suit states; she was left with a deep cut on the left side of her face, receiving 70 stitches after being rushed to hospital.

The actress, who turned 19 just days before the accident, spoke to Deadline about the injury’s lasting effects. “It’s been mass amounts of insecurity, conflicted, confused, hurt, angry, and sad that this was my last day on set and no precautions were taken,” she said.

“She has since undergone treatment including laser treatment and silicone treatment, but over one year post-incident, has been left with permanent scarring on the left side of her face,” the suit continues. “It is unknown at this time if any further treatment, including plastic surgery, would reduce the visual appearance of the injury.”

Hickson, who had previously appeared in Deadpool, was “a busy, up and coming actor in the very competitive movie industry”, the suit states, adding that: “as a result of the injury, she has lost income [during] the period of time she was unable to act while she recovered from her injury.”

The suit accuses the production company of failing to take reasonable precautions in ensuring the safety of its actors, including in the use of safety glass or stunt doubles.

– Article written by Clarisse Loughre for Independent.co.uk. Find the article here.