Injured stuntman seeks HK$5m

A stuntman injured in a body-double act while making the Andy Lau Tak-wah movie Running on Karma is seeking more than HK$5 million in compensation.

Chan Shek claims he was hurt falling to the floor when a wireman pulled a table away too soon.

He says the production team also failed to provide a safety mattress to break his fall, in which he suffered fractures to his left wrist and a dislocated elbow. Director Johnnie To Kei-fung, whose company Milkyway Image (Hong Kong) made the film, was present in the Court of First Instance yesterday.

Barrister Mohan Tarachand Bharwaney said the company was liable to compensate Mr Chan for the injuries sustained in June 2003, when he was acting as a body double. 'When the accident occurred, [Mr Chan] was doing the act properly. A premature pulling of the table caused him to lose his balance and he fell onto the floor with his left arm stretched out.' He said a stuntman would usually be paid HK$1,400 for nine hours of work, but the fee was HK$2,800 for a body double.

The barrister said Mr Chan had been earning about HK$50,000 a month before the accident but his income had dropped to HK$20,000.

The hearing before Mr Justice Azizul Suffiad continues today.