A production company pleaded guilty Tuesday in British court to two criminal charges for a June 2014 incident that left Harrison Ford seriously injured on the set of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Foodles Production Ltd., a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Co., admitted in a magistrate court to two of four health and safety breaches after Ford was hit by a metal-framed hydraulic door that pinned his body to the ground. He had to be airlifted to a hospital for surgery.
The door was part of the Millennium Falcon, the spacecraft commanded by his character, Han Solo. Ford was walking through the doorway, not knowing that the set was live, when he was struck in the pelvis and broke his leg.
British health and safety regulators said in court that an emergency stop button was pressed, but the accident could have proven fatal. Companies that breach health and safety laws in Britain are subject to criminal prosecution.
"This was a foreseeable incident," a Health and Safety Executive spokesman said.
"Risks are part and parcel of everyday life, and this is acknowledged by health and safety law — but they still need to be identified and managed in a proportionate way," the spokesman added.
Foodles will be sentenced next month, although the company said it would contest the level of risk that Ford actually faced.
Ford, 74, was involved in another accident in March 2015, when his vintage World War II training plane lost engine power and crashed in a California golf course. He suffered a broken arm and gash to his head, among other injuries.
The release of "The Force Awakens," the seventh film in the "Stars Wars" saga, was a global hit, raking in over $2 billion worldwide after its release last December.
