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Paramount confirms that “an unusual accident” on the New Orleans set 
killed a crew member working on the set of the movie G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation on Tuesday. TMZ had the report first. The locally hired crew member Mike Huber apparently was working on tearing down the set with a high-powered scissor lift when the machine tipped over and the man sustained fatal injuries. The studio statement says, “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the [crew member's] family at this time. The safety of our cast and crew is our top priority and the studio is fully cooperating with all investigating agencies as they examine the circumstances surrounding this unusual accident.” It was October 2010 when a stunt car accident went wrong and nearly killed a locally hired extra on the set of Paramount’s Transformers 3.
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“Locally hired” usually means the guys who do the jobs no one else wants and with arbitrary safety procedures in place. RIP.
You should not write something you know nothing about. That is not what local hired means.. RIP. mike you will be missed by all local hires.
This is becoming insane. People should NOT be DYING in the making of movies. The budgets on these films have gotten totally out of control, mostly in the pursuit of stranger stunts and set scales that are intended to be death-defying, but which are in fact causing deaths!
INSANITY people!
Although I agree with your sentiment, in this particular case, the victim was a crew member and he was tearing down the set. There were no actors involved, filming was not taking place and no death-defying stunts were being staged. Furthermore, the article does not suggest that the set he was tearing down was of any unusual scale.
Certain aspects of filmmaking have always been dangerous… but this wasn’t a stunt gone wrong or anything. This was a crew member falling off a scissor lift. It probably wasn’t set on level ground. Either way, OSHA is going to have fun with this one. My condolences.
While no job should cause death, the movie industry has an incredibly low occupational death rate compared to most manufacturing companies and industries. Stunt performers are always risking their life with each stunt, it’s what they do and they go to extradorinary and expensive measures to ensure their safety – and get paid well for it. That’s the nature of the business. With all the films being made each year, deaths are non-existent with the exception of a handful of isolated accidents in the past decade. Do your fact checking – shit happens in every business. RIP to Mike Huber and his grieving family.
Accidents happen, unfortunately. All the money and safety precautions in the world can’t stop an accident. Ben Hur was 1959.
Yes, actually, they can. Investing in properly trained and supervised union personel pays off with a safe and sane set.
The cost of runaway production to so-called “right to work” states shouldn’t be someone’s life.
Can we assume the studio’s lawyers will argue they have no liability here and will work to screw the man’s family out of any monetary compensation?
so where was the 1st AD?
Having a smoke?
Have you ever worked on a movie set, sad? Why would the First A.D. be on a set that was being taken down?
As for Anonymous’ comments above…you have no clue what safety procedures were or were not in place. Often local hires are used on a construction site, but it doesn’t mean that safety issues are not addressed because these local hires are less “valuable” than crew members brought in from Los Angeles.
Probably on set. This looks like it took place during wrap on a studio set.
It seems the accident took place on a stage long after the actors and crew had vacated. The 1st AD was probably miles away where they were filming. Not his or her responsibility.
If you knew anything about the production process you’d know the 1st AD doesn’t hang out when they’re rapping out a set.
The 1st AD is with the shooting unit. No ADs are with construction when building or taking down sets. Not sure why you even asked this question.
It’s not the 1st AD’s Job to oversee Set Teardown
Why in the world would the 1st be with the rigging or construction crew as they strike a set? If anyone, where was the construction gang boss?
If the set was being torn down, then shooting clearly wasn’t going o at that location, so it’s not the 1st a.d.’s responsibility.
Where he/she should have been. On the set.
This accident occurred off-production, and while tragic, is not the responsibilty
of the AD staff.
Reading comprehension, people. The crew member was tearing down the set. TEARING DOWN THE SET. I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess the 1st AD was with the shooting crew, if they are even still shooting.
Mike Huber leaves behind two wonderful daughters, a loving wife, and a large family of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews who will miss him. Rest in peace Uncle Mike.
And at the end credits will be the “No animals were harmed in the making of this film” disclaimer
Blaming film makers, producers or studios for any accident is like blaming the car industry for a head on collision. Accidents happen in every industry, but put a film camera in the vicinity and it becomes news.
Mike Huber’s life was working on motion pictures as a set construction carpenter. He leaves a wife and two young children that no amount of compensation will ever replace.
I work on scissor lifts for a living…what exactly is a “high-powered scissor lift”? Sounds like a reporter not knowing what he is talking about.
As to the comment by David about people shouldn’t be dying on film sets. This accident could have just as easily been at a construction site. It had nothing to do with the fact that a movie was being filmed. Quit trying to sensationalize a trivial point in the story (that it happened on a movie set)
I have been on sets Builds , tear downs and filming and not matter what injury the safety people and medics( unlicensed and not Emergency trained) couldn’t save a flea! Sets are dangerous places and the unions, studios and non union producers should call for
liscensed persons who are trained to care for crew. The sets are like island and even islands
have doctors and nurses with ER training!
Where the he’ll are you working? LA has the finest medics ( some), safety people, in the industry. Most states have union employees that have to have some safety training before operating this type of equipment. Your comment makes no sense at all.
Sad for the family that now has a permanent empty seat at the Thanksgiving table. Prayers go out to you. But they seem to happen on the Lorenzo movies a lot. Transformers, G.I. Joe. Hope Ellison is covered.
If he was tearing down a set, like the article said, he wasn’t part of the shooting crew. Which means the 1st AD wasn’t anywhere near this accident. Because the 1st AD runs the set.
1st AD’s are not on a tear down set. Local hires have to be union too, usually. My bro is on rigging crew. He’s totally up on all his safety classes, union, etc. He’s on Sissor lifts all the time. It’s a tough job and they all deserve our prayers and respect. They work their asses off. I hope they weren’t overworked. My bro’s show definitely overworks their crew. (no names being printed here, but this is oh so common). So maybe UPM’s, producers, etc. should back off the crazy schedules and tight budgets enough to remember, saftey first.
And my condolences and prayers to Mike Huber’s family.
Very sad story and I feel for his family. I can’t help but wonder if he was put in the scissor lift without adequate safety training. To work in the industry in SoCal, Teamsters and IATSE worker are required to go through the “Safety Passport” training program of certification which is administered by CSTAF tinyurl.com/7cevjb2. If the industry in NOLA does not have a comparable program and the worker was put in an unsafe position by the production this is a real shame and another example of a deadly shortcut to try and save a few bucks at the expense of a good mans life.
This proves that even God is against this movie being made. RIP and may his family be treated right by the hollywood machine.
You are right…. This was not a freak accident !! Sadly this was 100% operator error… He drove the small scissor lift down a steep and narrow ramp that was only to be used to roll up and down small equipment …. He had only been in the biz for about a year… I do believe he was certified by a local equipment rental house to operate this type of equipment….Sadly a 1/2 hour class doesn’t compare to the education recieve in Los Angeles… Nola and all the other Wanta Be Hollywoods lack many things, but a trained workforce is at the top of the list… In the last 1 1/2 years I have worked on 3 shows in Louisiana, GI Joe being one of them, I have heard more horror stories about shit that has gone wrong in the last 1 1/2 years than in my 20 years in this biz… Sad to leave such a great production on this note… The Producers were so distrot after this… They were with him till he went into the ambulance …. My heart gows out to the family of this guy…. But something as stupid as this was avoidable !!!
Ive worked in a unionized havry construction industry for 40 years. I’ve seen two “highly trained and skilled” guys killed and others injured. You simply do not know what you are talking about.
I don’t know what I’m talking about !!!! Well sir
If you READ my post I call this not a freak Accident because he drove down a steep ramp!!
What was the situation of your 2 people dying ?? 2 in 40 years is a pretty good track record id say… Look up the definition Tink…. You do not know what you are talking about…. I have to hire these people and have to teach them how to tie knots !!! And they are in local 478 !! WTF
Good Day Tink you are clueless to our industry!!
RIP