Judd looked at Jan. He bent down and she leaned up and they kissed for the first time. He reached around her back with his right arm and brought his hand up under her right breast. He cupped and then squeezed the sizable appendage twice. She took her right hand off the bar, reached down and pulled his hand free, then placed it on the bar, put her hand over it and held it there. Four seconds later there was a loud bang. Scalding oil spewed from the line to the hydraulic motor on the bucket. The arms grasping the bar were scalded immediately from the elbow to the fingers. They both screamed, the camera operator saw the problem and yelled. The operator pulled the emergency shut down. The scalding oil spewed across the bucket for nearly half a minute, driven out through the small hole by the accumulators, then the flow slowed and stopped. With the unit shut down the operator could not bring them down and restarting it would spray more hot oil. There was no way to shut off the oil to that portion of the ride from the ground. A camera crane swung in and they tried to help Judd and Jan. The sight of the burned arms sickened the camera operator and he threw up over the side. He went back down, got another man to help him and was able to get first Jan and then Judd on a second run into the bucket and to the ground. They were screaming not to touch their arms. By now the studio’s two nurses were there and a call for paramedics had been made.

The young people were in great pain. The paramedics came and administered pain-killers, administered first aid and prepared them for transport. They were taken to the nearest trauma center for treatment. Within three hours they were in a regional burn unit.

The first call made after the 911 call was to the studio law firm. The next call was to the Mayor. With the 911 call came not only the EMT’s and ambulances but also the police. The officers were asking too many questions and interfering with the studio activities. This call to the mayor insured that the money given to political campaigns would not be wasted. The police who were on site were suddenly lead by a high-ranking police officer who understood the politics of handling the needs of large contributors. The officers remained on site but at a vastly lower profile. Within a half hour of the call to the lawyers two of the senior partners, two staff lawyers and two paralegals were on site. Everyone involved was interviewed and statements taken. The police did not interfere with these activities. The lawyer’s primary goal was to determine how to place the blame on someone other than the studio or its agents. They didn’t care who, anyone. With the important issues out of the way the studio executives met with the director. A decision was made. It was obvious that the actors would be unable to re-shoot within a reasonable period of time. The film was already late. It was a simple decision. The film would be completed with previously shot scenes.