The legacy of Batgirl is that of a $90 million blockbuster featuring an all-star cast and crew that ended up being locked away in the vault as a tax write-off, never to be seen or heard from again.
As much as that stings for the filmmakers, cast, and crew who poured their heart and soul into bringing Barbara Gordon into the DCU only to be left with nothing to show for it, one extra was left with life-changing injuries following a motorcycle stunt gone horribly wrong.
Speaking to The Sun, Cristina Stanovici opened up on not just the traumatic physical and mental recovery she’s been through, but her decision to sue Warner Bros. for the litany of wounds, lacerations, and broken bones she suffered as a result.
“To hear the anesthesiologist say ‘we had our fingers crossed for you’ really sends a chill down your spine. The surgeon told me it was one of the worst cases he has seen in his eight years at the hospital. They had a motorcycle with cameras on top of it that was filming. It hit me from the right side and I went flying in the air. I started screaming to get the attention of the paramedics as I remembered seeing an ambulance on site in the previous days. I lay there for almost an hour while they checked me and stabilized me. Unfortunately, I didn’t lose my consciousness. The memory will forever traumatize me.”
Reeling off the sheer volume of her injuries is nothing short of eye-opening, and it’s remarkable that the call to seek legal action wasn’t made sooner all things considered.
“I broke a lot of bones. My femur, my tibia plateau, my pubic bone, a lot of non-displaced fractures in the pelvis, a broken thumb, and laceration to the head. They did the femur surgery after approximately 10 hours. It lasted more than five hours, I had five blood transfusions and I almost died. I have a rod in my femur that goes from hip to knee. I was supposed to have two incisions, top and bottom but due to severe swelling they had to cut my whole leg to relieve the pressure. I went through what I hope to be the hardest times of my life alone. Even after 17 months, my leg still hurts and is weak. Not to mention it’s deformed, which adds to my trauma. This leg will need another one or two surgeries but it will never be the same again.
In a harrowing revelation, Stanovici even admitted there were times when she thought it might have been easier if the accident had simply killed her on impact.
“The recovery was and is horrendous. I am still in pain every single day, every single step. People might think it’s just a broken leg. No. It’s a tragedy, your body is wrecked and your mind follows. Many people, including me, who go through this think it would have been easier if they had died.”
So far, the only response from Warner Bros. is from a spokesman offering that “it isn’t appropriate for us to comment further,” but if it was preventable, then a payout is surely coming.