“Transformers 3″ Extra Injured On Set Suing Paramount Studios

The family of a woman who suffered a severe brain injury in a freak accident on the Indiana set of the new Transformers movie is suing film bosses for negligence.

Gabriela Cedillo, 24, was airlifted to hospital in Hammond, Indiana in a critical condition after she was struck in the head, leaving her skull sliced open, when a car stunt went wrong on the set of Transformers 3 last month. The accident occured when a tow cable used for a stunt snapped at the set, causing a piece of metal to slice through Cedillo’s skull.

The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court on Tuesday, accuses Paramount Pictures of negligence and contends that the Sept. 1 accident left the young woman permanently brain damaged, unable to speak, paralyzed on her left side, and her left eye stitched shut. Gabriela is able to make hand gestures and write notes with her right hand.

“It looks like she has vision loss in the left eye, which is sewn shut because there’s a paralysis associated with that and they don’t want her eye to dry out,” says Cedillo Family attorney Todd A. Smith. “To have people driving their vehicles in close proximity to stunts that are occurring as violently as these were, I think that’s unusual. I think it’s careless. I think it’s negligent.”

The suit names several mechanical and procedural malfunctions, including the studio’s failure to “properly weld the metal bracket to the stunt car,” “provide adequate safety precautions,” and failure to keep personnel on set at a safe distance. The production also allegedly “allowed untrained extras to drive their own vehicles within close proximity to a violent stunt involving large vehicles.”

The Cedillo Family is seeking unspecified damages in excess of $50,000 on counts of negligence against seven different companies and individuals.

“From what I know, an extra is in the background,” says Cedillo’s brother Adolfo Romo, who is now her guardian. Adolfo says his little sister had been excited to land a gig as an extra just as Transformers 3 was wrapping its summer-long shoot in Indiana. “Never did we think she’d be put in danger….My main concern is my sister. I just hope she can get back to her normal, daily activities.”

Paramount Studios has covered all of Cedillo’s medical bills. Studio execs issued this statement in response to the lawsuit: “We are all terribly sorry that this accident occurred. Our thoughts, prayers and best wishes are with Gabriela, her family and loved ones. The production will continue to provide all the help we can to Gabriela and her family during this difficult time.”

Cedillo, a native of The Windy City, is being treated at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.