娱乐英语新闻:Cameraman of "The Flight of the Phoenix" wins lawsuit against 20th Century Fox

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Irish cinematographer Ciaran Barry, who was badly injured during the shooting of the 2004 disaster drama "The Flight of the Phoenix," won the case against 20th Century Fox Film Corporation Tuesday.

    A jury under the Los Angeles Superior Court found 20th Century Fox 75 percent liable for the cameraman's injuries and Flight Productions Inc. 25 percent. They awarded Barry 3.95 million U.S. dollars and his wife, Elizabeth Barry, 75,000 dollars for loss of consortium.

    "My clients are very relieved," Lars C. Johnson, the couple's attorney, announced.

    Barry was filming in a plywood shack on June 3, 2004, when an 800-pound (363 kg) fiberglass model plane -- propelled down an elevated track -- bounced off a sand dune in the Namibian desert and crashed into the structure.

    Barry suffered two broken legs and neurological damage because of the accident. He also faced a shortened work career and physical problems that would continue to undermine his ability to continue his profession, his lawyer said.

    Barry declined to talk about the verdict, but jury foreman Joe Bolten said a videotape of the stunt and ensuing accident taken from a side camera were very persuasive.

    Believing the testimony of the Barrys, the jury had no trouble concluding that 20th Century Fox was in control of the production.

    The first hearing was held on Sept. 29.

    Despite his injuries, Barry got the images used in the film. The film was a remake of a 1965 movie of the same name. It dealt with the survivors of a plane crash who worked desperately together in an attempt to build a new aircraft to save themselves.