Disney must pay a $36,000 fine for the death of a “Wonder Man” crew member

Disney was fined $36,000 in February for the death of a crew member from the Marvel series “Wonder Man.”

A Cal/OSHA investigation found that the wooden walkway from which 41-year-old lighting technician JC “Spike” Osorio fell was “broken” and gave way “suddenly and without warning.”

The fatal accident occurred on February 6 on Stage 3 at the Radford Studio Center in Studio City.

“The deteriorated balance sheet values ​​were likely weakened by age, environmental conditions and repeated stresses over many decades,” said a statement from the agency, which imposed two fines of $18,000 each on Marvel parent company Disney.

They concluded that Osorio was standing on the weakened section of the walkway when “suddenly and without warning, the beam supporting the plank broke apart and collapsed… The employee fell 40 feet and struck the ground below with full force.”

Cal/OSHA also issued two fines totaling $22,500 to the nearly 100-year-old Radford Studio Center. Both companies have 15 business days to appeal the fines.

In May, Osorio's widow, Joanne Osorio-Wu, and his mother, Zoila Osorio, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Radford Studio Center, alleging that the facility should have known that the catwalks “were in a state of disrepair and in dire need of repair.”

The family's attorney, Erika Contreras, told Variety the subpoenas “confirm that Mr. Osorio's death was 100% preventable.” She added, “It also confirms that Radford Studio Center failed in its non-delegable duty to properly maintain, repair and inspect its premises. Unfortunately, Mr. Osorio has paid the ultimate price for Radford's failure.”

Hackman Capital Partners, which bought the studio from ViacomCBS for $1.85 billion in 2021, had no comment Friday.

In February, the company said it was “deeply saddened” by Osorio's death and would continue to “fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation.”

Osorio, who was a member of IATSE Local 728, also worked on the films “The Dark Tower” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” as well as television series such as “Goliath,” “Mayans MC” and “American Born Chinese.”

TheWrap has reached out to Disney and Radford Center Studios. No one at Hackman Capital Partners was available for comment Friday afternoon.

Variety first reported this story.