Award to Stunt Woman Voided
A Los Angeles judge today nullified a $4.5-million jury award to a 29-year-old former stunt woman who was left a quadriplegic by a 1980 auto stunt crash during the filming of the movie, “Cannonball Run.”
Superior Court Judge Philip F. Jones said he voided the award against movie director Hal Needham because Heidi Van Beltz has already received $6 million from other defendants in the lawsuit who settled out of court. Von Beltz, who was doubling for actress Farrah Fawcett when the sports car she was riding in crashed into a van during filming of the movie, sued Needham, stunt driver Jimmy Nickerson and several others in 1981.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
