Stavros Floros is seeking compensation after suffering a gruesome injury.
Nearly four months after the Survivor Greece contestant lost his leg in a boat accident during the showâs production, he sued the show for $100 million, claiming conditions of filming led to his injuries, according to the lawsuit obtained by E! News Sept. 3.
While filming in the Dominican Republic in May, Stavros, 22, and fellow contestant Emmanouil Malliaros were spearfishing in the open ocean for food when a boat carrying approximately 20 tourists entered the area, per the lawsuit. After noticing the boat, Malliaros allegedly yelled out to warn Stavros to get out of the way.
Despite Stavrosâ attempt to dodge the boat, âthe offending vessel's propellers struck both of [his] legs. The impact severed [Stavrosâ] left leg completelyâhis left leg was never recovered from the waterâand severely injured his right leg,â per the suit.
According to the filing, contestants were ârequired, incentivized, and expectedâ to spearfish in âopen ocean waters as a core and mandatory element of the game and its televised formatâ since the premise of the show requires that contestants be given âminimal rationed foodâ and are expected to âsupplement their sustenance through fishing and foraging.âÂ
However, contestants were directed to hunt for their food in âan area of very heavy commercial and tourist boat trafficâ and production âdid not establish any marked, roped-off, buoyed, or otherwise protected safe zone from local boat traffic within which cast members could safely fish or free-dive,â per the lawsuit.
Furthermore, because phones were taken away from contestants and they couldnât âindependently summon help or otherwise protect themselves in the event of an emergency,â the lawsuit states that the production had a heightened âdutyâ to âsupervise, protect, and rescue cast members.â
Yet, the filing said that the show did not provide âany safety personnel, safety boats, spotters, or other measures to warn approaching boats away from the area where cast members were fishing,â and that production âknew, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have known, of the heavy and dangerous boat traffic in this area and of the risk it posed to cast members fishing and diving there, and nonetheless failed to take any corrective action.âÂ
Following the incident, Stavros was transported to Miami for medical care and remained hospitalized for 61 days, where he âunderwent multiple surgical procedures, including procedures related to the traumatic amputation of his left leg and the surgical repair and reconstruction of his severely injured right leg,â per the suit.
After Stavrosâ departure, the show allegedly remained on location and âdid not stop," with producers continuing to âactively film and manage the show, and continued to exercise the same control over the remaining cast members that it had exercised before the incident,â according to the lawsuit.
The production then supplied and provided remaining cast members with cocaine and marijuana, "apparently to help calm and settle the castâ after Stavrosâ injury, per the suit.Â
As a result of his experience, Stavros is requesting compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $100 million, including for past and future medical expenses, as well as for âpast and future pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life.â
E! News has reached out to reps for the defendants AcunMedya and Skai TV for comment on the allegations in the lawsuit but has not yet heard back.
Following the May incident, AcunMedya spoke out on the âserious accidentâ to âclarify the exact circumstances under which the incident occurred.â
At the time, the company said in a statement, per the Toronto Sun, that Floros was âdiving without a surface marker buoy in an area frequented by tourist vesselsâ when a boat âaccidentally struck him.â
Amid the incident, AcunMedya said the company had a swift response.
âFrom the very first moment, there was an immediate response to provide assistance and safely transport the injured contestant," the statement continued, "while the competent port authorities are investigating the causes of the incident in order to fully determine the circumstances."Â