Family Sues Over Colorado Woman’s Death in TV Project

The survivors of a woman who died during the production of a reality TV show pilot have filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against Discovery Communications Inc. and Anthropic Productions Corp.

Terry Flanell’s husband and daughter filed the lawsuit last week in federal court in Denver.

It says the companies were producing a pilot focusing on the family’s Colorado Springs business, Dragon Arms. The suit says the opening sequence was to have Dragon Man employees walk through a cloud of smoke, but pyrotechnic devices that were used to create the smoke malfunctioned, and one struck Flanell.

The lawsuit alleges no licensed pyrotechnics operator was on scene for the filming last year.

A phone number for Anthropic wasn’t listed. A Discovery spokeswoman did not return a phone call seeking comment.