LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A former Las Vegas stunt performer and contestant on America's Got Talent is now suing the show.
According to TMZ, Jonathan Goodwin almost died while working on AGT: Extreme.
Documents obtained by TMZ state producers "pushed the talent to perform extreme stunts for the show" and at the same time, they "controlled, designed and interfered with the safe performance of the stunts by creating an illusion of safety and failed to develop and comply with proper safety policies, practices, protocols and procedures for this type of production."
The incident in question happened on Oct. 14, 2021 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Those documents state Goodwin was "crushed and burned by two exploding motor vehicles and was further injured when he fell approximately 20-40 feet and violently struck the ground."
Goodwin said the incident left him with a "dislocated spinal cord, rendering him paraplegic, internal organ injuries, including the loss of his left kidney, fractures to his legs, ribs and shoulders, and extensive third-degree burns."
"The spinal surgeon said that my injury was the worst that he'd ever seen and also told me that there was a really good chance I wouldn't make it through the surgery," Goodwin told Good Morning America after the incident.
The documents obtained by TMZ state multiple acts performed on the 850-acre campus at the speedway and the show had a single stunt coordinator "who was neither qualified, properly trained, nor given the resources that would have been necessary to do this job safely and competently."
It also stated that three cranes used for the stunt "could not remain fixed in place and required raising and lowering them for each use." That meant the stunt had to be re-rigged every time, which "significantly increased the risk of sloppiness and error and consumed precious time that could have and should instead have been used for safety testing or rehearsal."
The documents also allege producers made Goodwin change aspects of the stunt, which compromised safety.
Additionally, the documents outline this wasn't the first time Goodwin has had issues with a production connected with America's Got Talent. In 2020, another incident happened in Season 15.
Goodwin states the set was "careless and unsafe". He said after performing a stunt where he was handcuffed and set on fire, he "was left alone in the dark to de-rig and get out of seven layers of wet clothes. No one in the sizable crew offered to assist him, much less turn the lights back on."
The lawsuit states Goodwin is suing for negligence and damages.
Goodwin moved from Las Vegas back to his native England following the incident so he could recover from his injuries. His social media profile says he is now a screenwriter, hypnotherapist, and ambassador for spinal injuries.
"I think that people that have disabilities are largely underrepresented in the media. If I can use that position to be able to help other people, I will," Goodwin said previously. "Obviously, there are lots of things that I have lost but I'm not concentrating on that. For me, it was about creating a spectacle for an audience, showing people things that they'd never seen before and that's absolutely something I can still do."
