The production company behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens has received a near $2 million fine after actorHarrison Ford broke his leg and suffered other injuries in 2014 when a heavy hydraulic metal door fell on top of him on the set of the Millennium Falcon.
In connection to the incident, which occurred on 12 June 2014 at Pinewood Studios in London, Foodles Production (UK) Ltd., which is owned by Disney, has been ordered to pay a $1.95 million fine, reports The Associated Press. Foodles Production previously admitted fault on two criminal charges which were drawn against it, while two more were withdrawn.
The accident caused Ford to undergo surgery and forced production into a two-week hiatus to await his recovery from an ankle injury; prosecutors stating that Ford could have been killed by the door, which fell on him with a force comparable to the weight of a small car.
Judge Francis Sheridan at Aylesbury Crown Court stated that Foodles should have informed Ford of the risks; "If only they had included Mr. Ford in all the discussions, he might have at least been alert to the dangers that he had to avoid."
Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the highest grossing film in UK box office history last year, raking in more than $2 billion worldwide.
Episode VIII is expected to reach cinemas in December 2017, with production already underway. The franchise's first spin-off anthology film, Rogue One, will hit UK cinemas 16 December.
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