film news

Crew member killed after working on a shoot

A crew member has died after working long hours on a TV shoot for an episode of 'Longmire'.

Joe Tuck was killed after he reportedly fell asleep at the wheel around 4.30am last Saturday while driving back home. The crew member was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, when his truck is believed to have veered off state road 41, and rolled over.

An investigation is underway to determine whether the crew member worked excessive hours that would have made it dangerous for him to drive.

According to Nikki Finke, film and TV crews regularly debate the problem of long working hours, but no decisive action is taken to address it in the U.S

In light of a recent lawsuit that has led to charges being brought against the filmmakers of 'Midnight Rider', this latest incident is likely to get extra scrutiny, and producers will have to review carefully the working schedules of cast and crew.

Another factor to consider in this accident is the time of day. If Tuck had been driving during normal hours after an over-night shoot, other people could have been killed as a result of him falling asleep at the wheel.

Starring Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips and Cassidy Freeman, 'Longmire' first aired in 2012 and is currently showing on A&E.

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