‘America’s Got Talent: Extreme’ Contestant Reveals He’s Paralyzed After On-Set Injury

Former stuntman Jonathan Goodwin, who was injured last year performing on America’s Got Talent: Extreme, revealed that he is paralyzed as a result of the on-set accident and now uses a wheelchair. He shared some details of his recovery with fans on Instagram on Tuesday. Captioning a photo of himself sitting in his wheelchair while holding his dog in his lap, Goodwin wrote, “6 months ago I went to rehearse something and left this little hairy monkey waiting patiently for me…he didn’t see his dad again until just a couple of weeks ago and when he finally did, dad had new cool wheels.” He continued, “A lot has changed in the last 6 months, but love is a constant and I’m very very loved. Looking forward to my next chapters and being a roll model.”

Goodwin’s fiancée, Sherlock actress Amanda Abbington, said he is staying “positive and upbeat” while opening up about the tragic accident on Monday’s episode of the Out to Lunch podcast with Jay Rayner. “He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs,” Abbington, 48, said. “Third-degree burns, broke his spine and severed his spinal cord and nearly died. And then on the operating table, he nearly died again.”

Goodwin, 42, was rushed to the hospital on Oct. 14 after he was struck by two cars while suspended in the air before falling to the ground during rehearsal for the NBC show. “He’s paralyzed now, he’s in a wheelchair,” she continued. “Unless there’s a kind of stem cell surgery or that thing that Elon Musk is designing with the little chip, he’ll be like that forever.” Despite his near-death experience, Abbington said Goodwin has stayed “positive and upbeat and so strong,” which is inspiring to her on so many levels. “He’s just incredible, honestly, like so happy, just like a very happy, positive human being, just liquid sunshine,” she gushed. “He’s amazing.”

Goodwin was hospitalized in October after his escape act went wrong during America’s Got Talent: Extreme rehearsals on set at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Goodwin’s stunt involved him hanging upside down in a straitjacket while he tried to escape in between two cars suspended beside him. Abbington said that when the timing was misjudged, Goodwin found himself stuck between the two cars, which then burst into flame. When he did fall, Goodwin missed the air mattress that would have cushioned the blow, hitting his head on the ground instead.