Stuntman Calls Jackie Chan a Lifesaver

October 5, 2001 -- A stuntman who worked on Jackie Chan's Rush Hour 2 is thanking the martial arts star for saving his life when a boat stunt on the movie went awry.

"If it wasn't for Jackie, I would have died," stuntman Chung Cheng-kai, who also goes by the first name, "Andy," told Reuters on Thursday.

In a fight scene in the movie, which was filmed about a year ago in Hong Kong, Chan kicked two people off a moving boat. One stuntman quickly emerged from the water, but Andy got caught underneath the boat.

Andy said his head slammed against the underside of the boat, and he tried to avoid the propellers. He struggled to get back to the surface, but he was trapped under the moving vessel.

Just when he thought he couldn't hold out any longer, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him out from under the boat. It was Chan.

"I feel like a god grabbed me and pulled me out of the water," Andy said, "A moment later, I would have been dead. He save my life. He give me second life."

Born in Hong Kong, Andy first worked for Chan as a stunt double and fight choreographer in Mr. Nice Guy (1997), and since then has worked on Chan's Who Am I? (1998), Rush Hour (1998), and Shanghai Noon (2000).

Chan recently had his own near-brush with death: the star was set to film atop a tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, but shooting was postponed due to a late script.Reuters contributed to this story.