Survivor Greece contestant sues show for $100m after losing his leg in boat accident
A contestant on Survivor Greece has filed a lawsuit against the show’s producer after losing his leg during filming.
Stavros Floros appeared on Season 13 of the popular reality show which sees contestants stranded on a remote island try to survive and win themselves some cash.
But during filming in the Dominican Republic back in May 22-year-old Stavros was spearfishing in the open water and was struck by the propeller of a tour boat which severed his leg.
In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Floros accuses the show’s producers of negligence, claiming ‘the producers built the show’s entire format around requiring contestants to spearfish in open water — waters heavily trafficked by tourist boats near Bayahibe, Dominican Republic — without safety boats, spotters, protected zones, or adequate warning markers, despite prior near-misses and even a prior fatality in the exact same waters’.
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He also claimed that the part of his leg that was severed was never recovered from the water and that he only survived the incident thanks to a stranger from the boat that struck him applying a tourniquet.
Floros was rushed to hospital in Miami where he spent two months and ‘underwent multiple surgical procedures, including procedures related to the traumatic amputation of his left leg and the surgical repair and reconstruction of his severely injured right leg’, the filing states.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Thursday (3 September) is seeking compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $100 million, including for ‘past and future pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life’.
The lawsuit names AcunMedya and Skai TV as defendants.
In a statement to the Toronto Sun, AcunMedya said that the incident happened during a break from filming.
The statement read: “Following our initial announcement regarding the serious accident involving a Survivor contestant in the Dominican Republic, and out of a sense of responsibility toward the public and, above all, toward the contestant himself, we consider it necessary to clarify the exact circumstances under which the incident occurred.
“According to the information available so far, the accident appears to have happened when a tourist boat injured the contestant while he was spearfishing outside the competitive process of the reality show.
“From the very first moment, there was an immediate response to provide assistance and safely transport the injured contestant, while the competent port authorities are investigating the causes of the incident in order to fully determine the circumstances.
“The contestant remains hospitalised in serious but stable condition and is out of danger.”
Following the incident, SKAI Television, the Greek television station that airs Survivor Greece, suspended broadcast of the show.
In a statement to Greek news site eKathimerini, SKAI Television said: “Despite the fact that the production of Survivor is carried out exclusively under the control and responsibility of AcunMedya, SKAI is closely monitoring developments on the participant’s health and will contribute in every possible way to his treatment, as well as to any hospitalization and rehabilitation care that may be required.”
LADbible has reached out to AcunMedya and SKAI Television for comment.
Topics: TV and Film, World News, Health, Celebrity
Claire Reid