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Stuntwoman who lost arm on set of Resident Evil sues for £2.2m

A film stuntwoman who says her career was destroyed after a motorbike crash on the set of Resident Evil is suing for £2.2 million.

Olivia Jackson, 35, who has worked on films including Star Wars and Mad Max, was performing a high speed stunt while filming in Johannesburg when she crashed into a metal camera arm.

Ms Jackson, who was standing in for actress Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter in 2015, spent 17 days in a coma and had to have her left arm amputated.

She suffered brain swelling, punctured lungs and a severed vital neck artery as well as a twisted spine and dislocated shoulder.

Legal fight: stunt woman Olivia Jackson, 35 (Neale James via Olivia Jackson/Instagram)
Legal fight: stunt woman Olivia Jackson, 35 (Neale James via Olivia Jackson/Instagram)

Papers lodged at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria show Ms Jackson, from Amersham, Buckinghamshire, is seeking more than £2.2 million in damages.

In the documents, Ms Jackson states she is unemployable due to the incident. She said she was earning £20,000 a month while working in the UK.

She is suing seven parties for negligence, including the Road Accident Fund, the camera crane operator, the driver of the vehicle to which the crane was attached and the film director, all in a personal capacity.

All parties have served notice to defend the actions, although the full responses have not yet been filed. The camera crane operator said in court papers that the crash would have been avoided if Ms Jackson had applied brakes. The court case is expected to be heard next year.