General Lee Took to the Skies Once More and Almost Faced Serious Trouble | Carscoops

      A cameraman filming at the landing zone narrowly managed to get himself and his equipment to safety.

      15 hours ago

      by Chris Chilton

      A Dukes of Hazzard-themed stunt in Somerset, Kentucky, almost ended in disaster.

      The replica General Lee jumped over a fountain and nearly collided with a cameraman.

      Stuntman Ray Kohn utilized a Ford Crown Victoria disguised as a classic Charger.

      Forty years after The Dukes of Hazzard originally aired, the image of an orange Dodge Charger soaring through the air is still vivid for many—especially those old enough to recall the show. This image is particularly ingrained in the memory of one cameraman who came close to being struck during a modern reenactment of one of those iconic jumps.

      Car enthusiasts gathered at an event in Somerset, KY, to watch stuntman Ray Kohn from Northeast Ohio Dukes propel his General Lee replica in the town center, and he delivered. The ’69 Charger lookalike—actually a cleverly disguised Ford Crown Victoria—leapt 150 feet (46 m) right through the center of a fountain, which was dyed blue to enhance the visual effects.

      The footage is spectacular, capturing the jump in stunning high definition from various angles, thanks to the many cameras and smartphones recording the event.

      However, unlike the TV show, where editors would cut away from the chaos of the landing, this time the ‘Charger’ came down hard on the pavement. After landing slightly askew, the out-of-control orange vehicle headed straight for a professional video camera and its operator, who were positioned just beyond the barriers, believing they were safe from harm.

      With the suspension damaged, Kohn was unable to steer the car away from the cameraman, who barely managed to escape with both himself and his equipment as the General Lee replica sped past where he had been crouching. Luckily, both he and Kohn were unharmed, which means Rodney Mitchell, a cameraman from the original series, remains the only person to have died while working on Dukes of Hazzard. Mitchell tragically lost his life when the camera truck he was in overturned on a wet dirt road during filming.

      Dedicated Dukes fans at the fountain jump also hoped to see Rick Hurst, who portrayed Boss Hogg’s son Cletus in the show. Unfortunately, Hurst passed away just days before the event, at the age of 79.

      Lead image Northeast Ohio Dukes.