FILE - In this December 10, 2015 file photo, Harrison Ford greets fans during a Star Wars fan event in Sydney. A film production company has been fined 1.6 million pounds ($1.95 million) over an accident on the set of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that broke the leg of star Harrison Ford. The actor was struck by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon — his character Han Solo's spaceship — at Pinewood Studios near London in June 2014. A judge at Aylesbury Crown Court north of London said Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2016 that Foodles Production (UK) Ltd. should have informed Ford of the risks.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith, File)
Republished October 12, 2016 - 1:35 PM
Original Publication Date October 12, 2016 - 10:40 AM
LONDON - A film production company was fined 1.6 million pounds ($1.95 million) on Wednesday over an accident on the set of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that broke the leg of star Harrison Ford.
The actor was struck by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon — his character Han Solo's spaceship — at Pinewood Studios near London in June 2014.
Production on the film was suspended for two weeks after the accident.
Prosecutors said Ford, who was 71 at the time, could have been killed by the door, which struck him with a force comparable to the weight of a small car.
Foodles Production (UK) Ltd. had acknowledged breaching health and safety law.
A judge at Aylesbury Crown Court north of London said Wednesday that Foodles — which is owned by the Walt Disney Co. — 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.
"The Force Awakens" is the seventh installment in the space saga and has taken in more than $2 billion at the box office worldwide since its release last year.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016