A man was killed while working on a Burnaby film set on Monday evening after an unattended truck rolled down a slope.
The movie shoot was for the science-fiction TV show Falling Skies, by Invasion Productions.
The accident happened at Robert Burnaby Park at about 8:30 p.m. Sept. 15, said WorkSafeBC spokesperson Scott McCloy. The victim was a security guard.
While the movie shoot was being set up, a five-ton truck was parked on a six-per-cent slope and left unattended, McCloy said.
"The vehicle tailgate had been lowered to offload equipment and apparently it rolled backwards down the slope and the deceased was caught between the tailgate and a tree."
The worker was taken to Royal Columbian Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Burnaby RCMP, which confirmed it has seized the vehicle and will be conducting a mechanical inspection as is typically done.
The B.C. Coroner's Service identified the victim as Amrik Singh Gill, 59, of Delta and confirmed it is investigating the incident.
WorkSafeBC is investigating what happened and how it can be prevented in the future, McCloy said. "Our intent is to determine if there were any breaches of health and safety regulations that may have led to this unfortunate and very tragic incident."
This is the first fatality, to McCloy's knowledge, since 1997 when a worker was killed on a film set near Squamish.
Actsafe, which promotes health and safety issues in B.C.'s motion picture and performing arts industries, issued a statement Tuesday saying it is awaiting further details from WorkSafeBC and will offer its support in preventing such a tragedy from happening again.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of this member of our community,” said Actsafe’s Geoff Teoli. “We extend our sincere condolences to their family, friends and co-workers during this difficult time."
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com