Stunt man seriously hurt on 'Potter' set

WATFORD, England, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- A stunt double for actor Daniel Radcliffe suffered "a significant back injury" on the British set of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," paramedics said.

The 25-year-old performer was rehearsing an aerial sequence when he fell to the ground following an explosion, The Daily Mail reported. The newspaper identified the performer David Holmes, a former competitive gymnast.

Radcliffe and his co-stars reportedly were not on the set at the time of the accident. They are not due to start filming their roles in the movie until later this year.

"Paramedics were called to Leavesden Studios after a man in his 20s sustained a significant back injury. He was stabilized at the scene and taken to Watford General Hospital," an East of England Ambulance Service spokesman told The Daily Telegraph.

The hospital declined to comment on the man's condition, but said he had been transferred to another facility.

"The stunt double was badly hurt. He was rehearsing a flying scene which involved an explosion and it seems to have gone badly wrong. The guy was rigged up to a harness for the scene and was flying through the air," a source The Mirror.

"It is thought he may have been caught by the explosion and hit the ground very hard. He told crew members who went to help him he couldn't feel anything from the waist down. Everyone is just hoping he makes a good recovery. It has come as a terrible shock," the source told the newspaper.