Supermodel sues Leo Burnett for injuries on the set

Adage today reports supermodel Ganna Makeeva is suing Leo Burnett, Detroit, for negligence over injuries she claims she suffered during the shooting of a Cadillac Super Bowl ad. Makeeva is claiming that her career as a runway model was likely ended by injuries she suffered after falling through a floor on the set of Burnett's "Chrome Couture" shoot for Cadillac's Escalade, which aired in 2006 during the 2nd quarter of the Super Bowl.

According to the lawsuit: "As Ms. Makeeva walked down the runway, light bulbs continuously flashed in front of, and on the sides of, the stage, blinding her as she walked. Mirrors and other reflective objects surrounding the stage enhanced the blinding effect, thereby making it even more difficult for the models, including Ms. Makeeva, to see."

In the suit, Ms. Makeeva says there were no rehearsals for her walk down the runway and because she could not see the floor, had to "navigate the catwalk based entirely upon her perception of the location of the flashing lights around her." Her first trip down the catwalk during filming went without incident, but when "she turned to make her way back down the runway ... she abruptly and violently fell through a hole in the stage floor. As she fell, her left knee slammed against the sides of the gap in the stage and sharp, jagged edges of the hole slashed parts of her body, bloodying her hands and legs."

The suit says she underwent injuries to her "legs, knee, hands, wrists, stomach, head, neck and rib cage" and that she "has already undergone one knee surgery and must undergo yet another one to try to repair the painful and debilitating injury caused by the fall. She presently attends multiple therapy sessions each week in an effort to heal and recover from injuries she sustained."

See the ad:

Adding insult to injury for Leo Burnett, this particular ad was rumored to be one of the reasons Cadillac shifted the account to Modernista!.