A Gwinnett County jury has awarded $8.6 million to the family of a stuntman killed during the production of a "Walking Dead" episode in 2017.

Lawyers for defendants AMC and production company Stalwart Films had argued that John Bernecker's death in a fall from a balcony during a staged fight was an unforeseen accident that happened when the trained stuntman missed a landing pad 25 feet below.

The accident happened on location in Senoia in Coweta County.

Bernecker's parents, Susan and Hagen Bernecker, sued AMC Networks, Stalwart and several other defendants involved in the show's production, claiming they skimped on safety measures for financial and scheduling concerns.

The verdict comes after a weeklong trial before Gwinnett County State Court Judge Emily Brantley, which wrapped up Tuesday. The jury began deliberations late Tuesday afternoon and handed in its verdict before 6 p.m. Thursday.

The jury cleared AMC of liability, along with the actor pretending to fight with Bernecker during the scene, Austin Amelio.

The verdict apportioned 40% if the fault to Stalwart; 25% to TWD Productions VIII; 15% to Tom Luse, the executive producer; 10% to assistant director Jeff January; and 4% to stunt coordinator Marty Simons.

Bernecker himself was deemed 6% at fault for the accident.

The plaintiffs are represented by Jeffrey Harris and Yvonne Godfrey of Harris Lowry Manton, Rebecca Harris of Franklin Law in Savannah; Gerald Davidson Jr. of Mahaffey Pickens Tucker in Lawrenceville; and Pete Law and Brian Kaplan of Law & Moran in Atlanta.

In a statement, Harris said 33-year-old John Bernecker "was a remarkably talented stunt professional who had an incredibly bright future in the film industry. My sincere hope is this verdict sends a clear message regarding the need to both elevate and strictly adhere to industry safety standards every day, on every shoot, on every film set.

"John's tragic and preventable death happened as a result of a series of safety-related failures. Learning from these failures will go a long way in making sure that similar tragedies do not happen to another performer or another family," he said.

All of the defendants are represented by Jackson Dial, David Dial and Joshua Wood of Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial.

Jackson Dial said they planned to appeal, but had no further comment for now.

In a statement, AMC said, "There is no winning or losing in this situation, this was a terrible and tragic accident and our sympathies continue to go out to John Bernecker's family and friends.

"The set of 'The Walking Dead' is safe and is managed to meet or exceed all industry standards and guidelines related to stunts and stunt safety," AMC said. "That has been the case across the production of 10 seasons and more than 150 episodes, and it continues to be the case today, notwithstanding this very sad and isolated accident."