Jason Statham’s On-set Accident While Filming For Expendables 3

The Expendables franchise is all about glorious spectacle and honoring the stars and action blockbusters of the ’80s and ’90s. The fourth movie in the series was released in 2023, and fans who like classic action from films adapted for the present day still adore it. Like the titular team’s attempts to complete their objectives, the production’s dedication to real-world applications wasn’t without its dangers, though. An almost fatal mishap occurred during The Expendables 3 production due to an on-set glitch.

One of the movie’s stars, Jason Statham, nearly gets stuck in a very perilous scenario several meters underwater during a pursuit scene. Thankfully, Statham showed his abilities as an off-screen action hero, impressing even the production team with his deft maneuvers that allowed him to escape the near-fatal collision and giving the impression that he was a true member of the Expendables.

Jason Statham’s Car Accident Happened While Shooting For Expendables 3

During filming one of the action scenes in the opening act of The Expendables 3, an accident occurred. The Expendables are forced to escape from chasing henchmen on a mission to Somalia while traveling in a flatbed truck driven by Lee Christmas, played by Jason Statham. The plan was for Statham to drive the truck to the water’s edge and then halt, firing back at the adversaries who were pursuing them with his passengers. Most remarkably, Statham drove the car—not a stunt driver. This was because, in contrast to other actors, Statham also had a lot of experience driving in action films, showcasing his skill and expertise as a stunt driver all throughout his career.

The truck’s brakes failed on one of the stunt’s practice runs, sending Statham plummeting into the water. The fact that Statham’s gun holster became lodged in his seatbelt further complicated his escape plan and made it considerably more difficult to get out of the sinking car. Luckily, Statham managed to escape the truck, with the only casualties of the day being cameras and equipment.

Behind The Scenes Footage Shows Jason’s Accident Was Horrific

IGN’s behind-the-scenes footage captures the accident live, with the truck overheating and the crew frantically trying to save their hero. Terry Crews remembers in the video how shocked he was at the time, thinking, “I just saw a person die.” The team was relieved when Statham emerged from the water, so the panic was fleeting. More astonishingly, Statham changed into dry clothing and returned prepared to go on, even after the almost fatal incident.

Jason’s Diving Skills Saved Him From The Horrific Truck Accident

Even for a skilled stunt performer, the unanticipated nature of the incident would have made it perilous, but Jason Statham was specifically built to survive this particular malfunction. Statham was a professional diver with Olympic dreams before he became an actor. In 1985, Statham enrolled in the British National Diving School and went on to compete internationally for his nation. Later, in 1990, he competed for England in the diving competition at the Commonwealth Games in New Zealand.

Statham never advanced past the Olympic trials for the Summer Games in 1988 and 1992, although he did compete in diving at the highest level. Even though Statham’s diving experience is more closely associated with his other action-packed series, The Meg, it became even more crucial during the filming accident for The Expendables 3. Statham’s abilities allowed him to flee the sinking car and reach the surface without suffering any significant injuries, even though he didn’t quite have a pin-drop entrance in the water like normal.

We’re Glad That Jason Statham Is Alive After The Car Accident

Even while it’s not necessary to have actual death-defying abilities to just star in The Expendables, Statham’s special set of abilities was undoubtedly essential to his survival. It’s almost a relief that this catastrophe happened to the one performer who possessed experience in the two talents most appropriate for survival, considering all the accidents that may have happened during the filming of these violent action sequences.

Christmas, played by Statham, continues to withstand severe threats, just like he did after the terrifying occurrence. With the success of David Ayer’s new action picture The Beekeeper and his subsequent takeover of The Expendables franchise following Sylvester Stallone’s exit from the series, Statham has proven to be one of the top action stars of the last several decades in the years following this filming mishap.