A 26-year-old movie extra who was injured during a stunt while filming “Transformers 3” will now get an $18.5 million settlement from producers.
Gabriela Cedillo had filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Studios after she suffered a traumatic head injury during a stunt that went horribly wrong in Indiana on September 1, 2010.
Cedillo was driving her own vehicle in the background of an action sequence for the big-budget sequel when a cable snapped between a stunt car that was being pulled by another car.
The cable whipped around and sliced through Cedillo’s windshield, striking her in the head.
Cedillo was airlifted to a local hospital where she underwent emergency surgery, but it was determined that the damage to her brain would be permanent.
“A large part of her brain was lost. She has difficulty with memory. She can’t remember when she went to the bathroom five minutes earlier,” said Todd Smith, Cedillo’s lawyer.
Paramount and DreamWorks had each originally agreed to cover the associated medical costs, which soared beyond $350,000, but in the end, each company went to great lengths to avoid paying anything, according to the lawsuit.
Now, the two studios will pay up, and a judge has officially signed off on the settlement.
Indiana safety officials investigate the accident and determined that the studios didn’t violate any operational standards.
As for Cedillo herself, she seems to be recuperating as best as can be expected, given the circumstances.
“She is on her feet and talking and for that we are thankful,” said Smith at a press conference. “On the other side, she has significant cognizant impairment and with a period of hallucinations…She is going to have issues for the rest of her life.”
Below is a photo of the 26-year-old following a recent surgery…
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