The stunt business in Hollywood can be a very dangerous profession. In 2017, Joi Harris died on the film set of Deadpool 2 when the motorcycle she was operating ejected her, resulting in Harris subsequently crashing into a building. The film, released in 2018, was Harris’ first time working as a stuntwoman on a film set.

According to CTV News, this was Harris’ first time doing stunts for a film and she performed the stunt successfully four times after losing control the fifth time around. The bike’s throttle became “somehow engaged” during the fifth time. Her bike crashed through the window of a ground-floor studio inside Shaw Tower in Vancouver.

At the time of the stunt, Harris was not wearing a helmet. She was filling in for the film’s co-star Zazie Beetz who plays Domino.

WorkSafeBC, British Columbia’s version of the U.S. government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has revealed that TCF Vancouver Productions, the film production company behind Deadpool 2, instructed Harris not to wear safety headgear when operating the motorcycle.

WorksafeBC also found that TCF Vancouver Productions “failed to ensure that the stunt performer was provided with a new worker orientation and failed to ensure that the stunt performer completed the young and new worker orientation checklist.”

Read the full report here.

Harris started riding bikes in 2012, received her race license in May 2013 and started racing in 2014 with the American Sportbike Racing Association/Championship Cup Series.

READ MORE:

The first black woman in road racing, Joi “SJ” Harris, dies while filming stunt for ‘Deadpool 2’

Photo: Legacy

From Harlem to Hollywood, get the Black entertainment news you need in your inbox daily.

Joi Harris

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week