TIMBERLINE LODGE, Ore. – Tragedy struck on Friday when renowned film director Boris Sagal, 58, suffered a fatal accident involving a helicopter at Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.
The incident occurred while Sagal was filming scenes for the NBC-TV movie ‘World War III.'
Sagal had just completed his third day of filming for a television movie that starred Rock Hudson and David Soul, focusing on a hypothetical Russian attack on the Alaskan oil pipeline.
According to George Brady, a spokesperson for Timberline Lodge, the helicopter, which had been used for the filming, had landed in a parking lot.
As Sagal approached the rear of the helicopter, he inadvertently walked into the spinning rotor blades, resulting in fatal injuries.
He was immediately rushed to a hospital in Portland, where he tragically passed away five hours later.
His wife, Marge Champion, stood by his side throughout the ordeal.
Boris Sagal's notable works include the recently aired ABC-TV miniseries ‘Masada.'
He began his directing career in 1963 with the film ‘Dime with a Halo.'
Throughout his career, he directed several theatrical films, such as ‘Twilight of Honor,' ‘Made in Paris,' ‘The Thousand Plane Raid,' and ‘The Omega Man,' which featured Charlton Heston.
While Sagal had an extensive filmography, a significant portion of his work was dedicated to television.
Some of his notable credits include ‘A Case of Rape,' ‘Indic and Convict,' ‘The Oregon Trail,' ‘The Dream Makers,' and ‘Ike.'
At the time of the accident, Sagal was overseeing the second unit photography for a four-hour television miniseries produced by Finnegan Associates.
His wife, Miss Champion, had been en route to Oregon to join him when the tragedy unfolded.
Following the accident,
