Britain’s Got Talent daredevil Jonathan Goodwin sues US spin-off show after he was paralysed in horror car smash stunt
BRITAIN’S Got Talent daredevil Jonathan Goodwin is suing its US spin-off show after he was paralysed in a horror car smash stunt.
The stuntman, whose Sherlock actress fiancee Amanda Abbington is competing in the latest series of BBC One‘s Strictly Come Dancing, has launched legal action over the incident leaving him in a wheelchair.
Escapologist Jonathan, 43, is suing producers of US TV show America’s Got Talent whose judges have included Simon Cowell.
He suffered life-changing injuries in rehearsals for America’s Got Talent: Extreme, when he was crushed between two burning cars.
His legal team have issued a statement describing production for the programme as “rushed” and “chaotic” and calling out staff for lacking experience and expertise, the BBC reported.
Jonathan, from Pembrokeshire in Wales, has previously welcomed being given a “second chance at life” after surviving.
He is now taking action against the US show-makers.
His lawyer Stuart Fraenkel said: “This is yet another example of the entertainment industry putting profits and ratings before safety.
“The producers and staff working on this show could have taken a number of simple steps to ensure Jonathan’s safety.
“Instead, the production was rushed, chaotic and staffed by a team that lacked the necessary expertise and experience.
“Jonathan will be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life because there were inadequate safety practices, protocols and procedures in place to protect him.
“He is bringing this claim to bring attention to an ongoing lack of safety problem in the entertainment industry.
“He hopes that by bringing this claim, lessons will be learned, changes will be made and others in the future will not be exposed to unnecessary risks and danger.”
The lawsuit was filed in California on Wednesday this week.
Fremantle Media, producers of the series, has said it did not comment on litigation matters.
Jonathan was left unable to walk after his injuries in the America’s Got Talent incident.
He later retrained as a hypnotherapist, helping other people struggling with such issues as anxiety and insomnia.
His AGT episode had been hailed on US channel NBC’s website for “the most outrageous, unique and jaw-dropping acts of enormous scale and magnitude that simply cannot be confined to a theatre stage”.
But production was shut down in October 2021 after Jonathan’s ordeal.
He was suspended 70ft high during rehearsals, wearing a straightjacket upside-down hanging from a rope, aiming to escape away from two cars swung on each side of him.
Goodwin appeared to try to jump up the rope before the cars collided, yet the cord snapped leaving him caught between both.
He was then seriously injured in an explosion, suffering broken bones and burns before being airlifted to hospital.
He has told how he didn’t do anything wrong, in a response to a post on social media site Instagram.
Jonathan was previously a Britain’s Got Talent finalist in 2019.
Amanda revealed last year how he now uses a wheelchair after he suffered various serious injuries.
She wrote online: “He fell 30ft and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs.
“Third-degree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.
“Unless there’s a kind of stem cell surgery, or that thing that Elon Musk is designing with the little chip, he’ll be like that forever.”
She was previously married to Sherlock, The Office, Love Actually and The Hobbit actor Martin Freeman.
She talked earlier this year about their split after 16 years together.
Martin is now in a relationship with French actress Rachel Mariam.
After retraining as a hypnotherapist, Jonathan told The Sun: “It’d be very easy for me to look at my situation and be like, ‘Woe is me, I’m so unlucky – I’ve had all of these terrible things happen to me.
“Or I could look at the same situation and be like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so lucky, I got a second chance, I can still cuddle my daughter, kiss my fiancé, sip a margarita and watch the sunset’.
“That second chance at life is something that I am incredibly grateful for every day.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to do all the new things that I’m doing.
“I retrained as a hypnotherapist and spend my days helping people.”