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One of the Aston Martin DBS cars used for filming "Quantum
of Solace" has been written-off after an accident
plunged it to the bottom of Lake Garda...
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Production Diary (25)
20th April 2008
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Aston Martini - Shaken & Stirred
Car lovers look away now. James Bond's Aston Martin DBS resembled a black olive
in a large cocktail of trouble at Lake Garda yesterday as 007's vehicle took
a plunge. The driver was shaken and stirred, but thankfully not injured.
The accident happened shortly after 6:30am
when professional tester Fraser Dunn was transporting the
car to the filming in the village of Torbole, on the shores
of Lake Garda in Italy. Near the straight shortly after
the Conca d'Ora and on the road to Gardesana (immediately
after Torbole), local reports state that he lost control
of the vehicle in heavy rain and crashed through the road
barrier plummeting in to the lake. 20 meters of protective
railings were smashed, and the car traveled approximately
8 meters in the air before hitting the water.
Firefighters
spotted the accident immediately and were straight to
the scene. Dunn managed to get out of the car whilst it
was
only partly submerged; it later sank 55 meters to the
lake bed. He swam ashore and was admitted to the hospital
in
Bolzano where he was monitored for hypothermia and a
suspected fractured sternum.
Last night executive producer Anthony Waye
said: "Around 6.30am under a heavy shower the car came
off the road and ended up in the lake. The driver was slightly
hurt and is expected to be released from hospital shortly." Mr
Dunn's girlfriend Rachel Andrews said: "He is OK. But
he is certainly not a stuntman – he is an engineer." |
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A rescue crane dragged the DBS
from the water after being called in by police. Teacher Ben Appleby,
who lives
near the scene, said: "The car was traveling very fast
on an extremely narrow and bendy road. It's a dangerous stretch
so it's not surprising something happened." Ironically,
the DBS was due to take part in filming by the lake today in
a scene where 007 roars away from the scene of a fireball
crash – and a truck ends up in the water.
Filming in the region is scheduled for a total
of eight weeks, including Tuscany, Veneto and Trentino for a
chase sequence that will last approximately 15 minutes on screen.
In recent days, shots have been delayed due to the wet weather
in the region. Locals have seen roads closed to traffic and diversions
around the area. The
£130,000 car was one of five Aston Martin DBS vehicles
used by the production: two were sprayed with fake bullet holes,
the third was the one driven into the water by accident yesterday.
Daniel Craig was not present for this driving
sequence, which is being filmed with stuntmen. The crew have
based themselves at the Gard Hotel du Lac and du Parc.
