Forty-two year-old Hollywood actor, Gerard Butler was admitted to hospital following an accident whilst shooting a sequence for a new movie based on the life of tragic surfer Jay Moriarty. The accident that has been described as “near fatal” occurred when Butler was trapped under his board and hit by a number of waves in quick succession. The actor got into trouble when he became caught in a 12-foot swell, and was then hit by a freak wave. Butler is playing the role of surf champion Rick “Frosty” Henderson in the movie, Of Men and Mavericks.

Dash to the Hospital

Following the accident, Butler was pulled from the waves and brought to shore aboard a jet ski, before being taken to a local hospital by ambulance. An eyewitness account reveals the horror of Butler’s accident, onlookers watched though gritted teeth, as he was “held down for a solid couple of waves, and took four or five more on the head.”

No Business in the Water

Although Butler’s insistence for getting into the water to complete the sequence was applauded by many, especially as a number of Hollywood stars would have insisted that they were digitally added to the wet suit clad body of a pro surfer, he was criticised by the director of the local big wave surfing event. According to Fran Quirate, he had “no business near the bowl or taking a Maverick’s set on the head.”