The production company behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has been hit with a $1.95 million fine over the on-set injury suffered by Harrison Ford in 2014.
The U.K.-based Foodles Productio Ltd, owned by Disney, pleaded guilty earlier this year to two charges brought by the country’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and now the company is being fined for its negligence, BBC News reported.
Ford, who reprised his role as Han Solo in the sci-fi epic, broke his leg when he was struck by a metal door on the set of the Millennium Falcon while filming in June 2014 at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. He was subsequently hospitalized for two weeks and underwent surgery.
A judge at Aylesbury Crown Court north of London said Wednesday 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,” Judge Francis Sheridan said, according to the Associated Press.
In a statement, Foodles said it “deeply regretted” what it described as an “unfortunate on-set accident.”
At a previous hearing, the court was told the actor, now aged 74, could have been killed as the door hit with the force comparable to a small car.
“The greatest failing of all on behalf of the company is a lack of communication, a lack because, if you have a risk assessment and you do not communicate it, what is the point of having one?” Judge Sheridan asked, per BBC News.
“That is the most serious breach here.”
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opened in December 2015 and quickly became one of the most successful films of all time.
The film has already grossed well over $2.07 billion worldwide. “Star Wars Episode VIII” is already filming at Pinewood Studios.