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Film crew member killed by falling debris

Submitted by administrator on Fri, 01/26/2007 - 16:16

By OLIVER MOORE
Friday, January 26, 2007

A crew member working on the coming Samuel L. Jackson movie "Jumper" was killed by frozen debris that fell on him as he tried to tear down part of an exterior set.

Workers were outside under frigid conditions Thursday when dislodged debris rained down on them.

"Set dresser David Ritchie and three of his co-workers were striking a portion of a wall when a large piece of frozen sand and ice broke free from the top of the set," company publicist Karen Pidgurski said.

"Work was stopped and paramedics and police were called to the scene immediately. Crew members from all over the site immediately went to his rescue. Ritchie was pronounced dead at the scene."

One of the people working with him at the time of the accident required medical attention, but his family said his injuries are not life-threatening, Pidgurski said.

Ritchie, 56, was a veteran of the movie industry, with credits on films as diverse as "New York Minute," "The In-Laws," "X-Men," "The Family Man," "The Corruptor" and "Simon Birch."

A friend said he was a smart and witty person who was popular with colleagues.

"It's an absolute fluke," Barry Horsley said at the scene. "He was a very, very kind man. ... It's a loss for the union and a loss for the city."

Because the incident was deemed a workplace accident and not a crime, the investigation was being led by inspectors from the Ministry of Labor. They will do their standard investigation, one said, to determine what went wrong and whether a similar accident can be prevented. A handful of police were on site as well, including forensics officers.

Local filming for the movie _ a sci-fi thriller based on a Steven Gould novel _ wrapped up in recent weeks, and the actors are now shooting scenes in Tokyo. The movie, which also stars Hayden Christensen, is not due to be released until next year.