On Sept 14, 2021, Michael Oronoz’s life changed in an instant.
While working as a grip on Netflix’s hit movie “Me Time,” which stars Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg, the now-41-year-old fell 33 feet to the floor after leaning on an allegedly faulty unsecured gate.
The fall left him with a broken jaw, broken femurs, a collapsed lung and a traumatic brain injury that stripped him of his ability to walk and talk. He had no recollection of the 10 years of life he had lived prior to the accident, including his wedding day and the birth of his five children.
Gripping Reality of Michael Oronoz’s Fall
Michael Oronoz’s harrowing experience, marked by an unresolved injustice and a dire need for safety measures in film production, serves as a wake-up call in Hollywood. In 2023, Michael and his wife Selina filed a lawsuit against Hudson Pacific Properties, the owners of Sunset Gower Studios where the incident occurred, determined to change the standards for safety on set.
“I cannot bear the thought of this happening to anyone else,” Selina expressed with a heart heavy with emotion.
A Life Unmoored
That day remains etched in Selina’s memory, an instant when her world turned upside down. Receiving the call from Michael’s brother, she felt her heart plummet. “I had just shared with my pastor that my greatest fear was receiving a call that Michael wouldn’t be here anymore,” she recalled. It was as if time had stopped, thrusting her into the depths of despair.
Heartbreakingly, when she arrived at the hospital, doctors delivered grim news. “It doesn’t look promising,” they said, as Selina faced the daunting task of telling their children. “They were all sitting on the couch. I just said to them, ‘I have to go. Your daddy fell,’” and in that moment, the weight of her words fell heavily, as tears flowed from their innocent eyes.
A Dangerous Condition
According to the couple’s lawsuit, the gate that Michael leaned against was described as “improper, unsafe, and a dangerous condition.” It raises questions about who should be held accountable. With Hudson Pacific Properties described in the suit as having control over the gate, the sense of negligence looms large. “They had a duty to protect Michael from the dangerous gate,” it states.
Attorney Alexander Eisner of Steel & Eisner, articulating the dark undercurrents of the film industry, emphasized that injuries on television and film sets are “endemic.” The broken latch, coupled with the fact that the gate opened the wrong way, illustrates a systemic issue, one that needs urgent attention. “They knew about this. Netflix and Hudson conducted a walk-through three months prior to the accident,” he explained, referring to the evidence that indicated their awareness of the faulty condition.
Crisis and Healing
In their defense, Hudson denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the gate was safe during inspections and that no incidents occurred since acquiring the studio in 2007. “The risk of harm only existed when used without care,” their legal team argued, downplaying the severity of the gate’s condition.
Future medical costs and lost wages for Michael have been estimated at a staggering $14 million, a life-care plan that weighs on his family’s heart. For now, both parties are in mediation, yet the shadow of the accident remains.
Despite the physical pain and lifetime of hurdles that await him, Michael has slowly returned to work. Yet, as Selina poignantly articulated, “We will never be the same.”
A Call for Change
“I don’t want to see any other wife have to go through this,” Selina continues to reflect on their ordeal. “I told Michael, ‘The Lord saved your life for a reason. Maybe it was to save other people’s lives.’” Their voices echo a powerful message: the need for reform and the urgency to ensure safety, to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.
In the high-stakes realm of film production, where risks are embedded in the creative pursuit, Michael and Selina’s story invites everyone—industry professionals, safety regulators, and audiences alike—to reconsider the cost of entertainment and advocate for a future where safety is paramount.
