A life-altering fall: The story of Michael Oronoz
A day that changed everything
Michael Oronoz’s life took a dramatic turn on September 14, 2021. Working as a grip on the Netflix film “Me Time,” starring Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart, he was tasked with fixing a motorized hoist at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood. What seemed like a routine job quickly turned into a nightmare.
While reaching up to work on the hoist, Michael leaned on a gate for balance. The gate unexpectedly swung open, causing him to plummet 33 feet to the floor below. The fall resulted in severe injuries: broken femurs, wrists, jaw, and orbital bone, a collapsed lung, and a brain bleed. He was on the brink of death.
“His heart did stop,” recalls his wife, Selina Oronoz. “They had to revive him three times.”
The long road to recovery
Michael was in a coma for three weeks following the accident. Over the years, he has undergone 11 surgeries and continues to grapple with the effects of a traumatic brain injury. His memory of the accident and the decade preceding it has been erased.
Against all odds, Michael recently returned to work on set. Although he tires easily, can’t lift heavy objects, and must avoid heights, his colleagues have been supportive. “They take care of me very much,” Michael says. “It’s a good job — a really good job.”
Speaking out for safety
For the first time, Michael and Selina have decided to speak out about the lax safety standards on studio lots. Selina hopes to prevent similar tragedies from happening to others. “We want things to be fixed,” she says. “The buildings are old.”
In February, lighting technician J.C. “Spike” Osorio fell to his death at Radford Studio Center while working on the Marvel show “Wonder Man.” A Cal/OSHA investigation revealed that rotten wood caused the accident. “It broke my heart,” Selina says. “It hit home for that poor wife. … I feel like it’s becoming more common.”
Legal battles and broader implications
Last year, the Oronoz family filed a multimillion-dollar negligence lawsuit against Hudson Pacific Properties, the owner of Sunset Gower. Their lawyer, Alexander Eisner, attributes the accident to a faulty gate. He points out that the soundstage was built in 1957 and is not required to meet current safety standards.
Eisner argues that the situation reflects a broader issue of exploitation of below-the-line workers. “These workers are often the backbone of productions but are repeatedly subjected to hazardous working conditions, all while studios turn a blind eye to basic safety measures in the pursuit of profit,” he says.
Current OSHA regulations mandate that gates next to void spaces should either slide or swing inward to prevent accidental falls. The gate at Sunset Gower swung outward. A photo taken three months before the accident shows the gate was tied shut with a rope or string, not a secure latch.
“Somebody who works up there probably used that piece of string to keep it shut because it wouldn’t stay shut,” Eisner says. “It’s difficult to defend how you could let this persist.”
The ongoing struggle
Netflix and Hudson Pacific Properties declined to comment on the lawsuit. In a motion to dismiss the case, Hudson’s lawyers argued that the company had delegated site responsibility to Netflix and suggested that Michael might be to blame for the accident.
“The gate was safe when inspected by Hudson,” the lawyers wrote. “The gate was also safe thereafter when used with due care by the ‘Me Time’ production crew. The risk of harm only existed when used without care and Plaintiff decided to lean on the gate and reach up to the hoist motor.”
Netflix’s workers’ compensation insurer has covered about $5 million in medical bills. Michael, now 41, faces future costs and lost wages that could total up to $14 million. The two sides are currently in mediation.
A family transformed
Michael’s recovery has been slow and arduous. He had to relearn how to walk and talk and still struggles with short-term memory loss. The couple has five young children, whom Selina homeschools.
“He’s definitely not the same person I married. He’s not the same person my kids remember,” Selina says. “It’s been really hard.”
She admits that she sometimes has to check herself when she gets frustrated with him. “We have to remind ourselves it’s not his fault,” she says. “He has this brain injury that’s causing these things.”
Eisner notes that Michael can only work sporadically, two or three days a week at most. “It’s symbolic. He’s a mascot,” Eisner says. “He’s there to show the other guys you can get knocked down and get back up.”
Throughout their ordeal, the family has relied on their church community and faith. “God is good for sure,” Michael says. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead.”
Selina remains baffled by the studio owner’s lack of proactive measures to update the facility. “They know this equipment is old, and after all these years they haven’t done anything about it,” she says. “That’s been the heartache. Knowing this could happen to somebody else we love is scary. We definitely want Michael’s story to be heard.”
For more information on the movie “Me Time,” you can watch the trailer.