A stunt performer is suing Game of Thrones producers over an injury she sustained during the episode in which the Battle of Winterfell was filmed.
The bloody fight scene proved brutal for many of the hit show's most popular characters.
However, it turns out that the infamous battle - which took place during the eighth season of the HBO series - claimed some victims off-screen as well.
Stunt performer Casey Michaels has claimed that she suffered a "serious fraction dislocation to her left ankle" while playing a Wight - or zombie - in February 2018.
Michaels initially filed a lawsuit in January 2021, suing HBO-owned production company Fire & Blood for almost $5 million according to filings obtained by Variety. If neither party settles, the case is likely to go to trial sometime next summer.
Per court documents, Michaels was one of 28 stunt performers directed to walk off a 12 foot high roof "as if unaware of the drop, in keeping with the zombie-like nature of the Wights".
In theory, the actors would land safely on a box rig below. However, the court documents claim that, over time, the landing became less and less safe.
"By their nature, however, the cardboard boxes are not durable and become damaged as each stunt performer lands on the box rig and also as each stunt performer climbs off of the box rig after landing," claims Michaels.
She goes on to allege that because she was the last performer to walk off the roof she sustained a severe ankle injury when she landed. Since then, the performer has had to undergo multiple surgeries and had a plate and screws inserted into her foot.
Even with these measures and a long course of intensive physiotherapy, Michaels still hasn't been able to return to work. Because of her injury, she claims she can no longer ski, skydive, do gymnastics or run, and still struggles with basic day-to-day tasks.
Fire & Blood Productions has denied the stunt performer's allegations, claiming that the box rig was "durable and not compressed when a stunt performer stepped off onto the mattress and rolled away."
They have also argued that Michaels sustained her injury because she didn't walk off the roof correctly, dropping "like a pencil, in a rigid or verticle manner" rather than rolling as she fell.
The production company cites "the Claimant’s failure to execute the pleaded stunt properly and/or with the skill and care of a reasonably competent stunt performer" as the real reason for her injured ankle.
