Star Wars injury shows importance of workplace safety, say lawyers

Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, a subsidiary of Disney, appeared at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court to admit two breaches of health and safety law.

The star, then aged 71, was knocked to the ground and pinned down by a heavy door on the Millennium Falcon set during the filming of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Pinewood Studios in 2014.

Prosecuting at Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court, Andrew Marshall said: “It could have killed somebody. The fact that it didn’t was because an emergency stop was activated.”

The Health and Safety Executive said the actor, who suffered a broken leg, was hit with a power comparable to the weight of a small car. Foodles is expected to be sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court on August 22.

David McWilliam, partner and head of the personal injury department at Ellis Jones Solicitors in Bournemouth, said: “Safety on film sets or any place of work is of paramount importance.

“The majority of injuries aren’t life changing but they do have a huge impact on people’s lives. I’ve seen a lot of building site accidents where the majority of people are self-employed and when they’re off work, they’re not earning.“Sometimes you see the most ridiculous accidents that are so easy to avoid and it just happens time and time again.”

He said the criminal case against Foodles could be followed by a lawsuit.

“If you were acting for Harrison Ford in this case, you would have waited for this hearing to be decided,” he added.

Adrian Cormack, partner and head of the personal injury department at Coles Miller Solicitors at Poole, said any civil litigation would almost certainly succeed.

“It’s a double whammy these days. In the old days a company would get a fine and slap on the wrist but these days the directors themselves can be prosecuted, fined and jailed,” he said.

“It depends on the level of control the directors could and should have had and on the degree of delegation they exercised.”