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Riverdale’s K.J. Apa involved in late-night car crash after leaving set

The 'Riverdale' actor fell asleep behind the wheel of his car after a 16-hour working day.
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Riverdale star K.J. Apa was involved in a late-night car crash last week after working a 16-hour day on set of the CW series.

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Apa, who stars as Archie Andrews on the crime drama, fell asleep at the wheel during his almost hour-long drive home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The accident allegedly occurred after midnight outside of Vancouver, Canada, where the series is filmed and regularly shoots into the wee hours of the morning.

Apa’s vehicle reportedly struck a light pole, destroying the passenger side; it was determined that his car could not be fixed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZJ4lcbnjTj/?hl=en&taken-by=kjapa

According to THR, Cole Sprouse, who stars as Jughead Jones on the series, was originally going to ride in Apa’s car but changed his plans.

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Despite the long hours that actors are required to be on the Riverdale set, THR reports that cast and crew are not provided transportation either to or from set and WBTV’s policy is that actors must coordinate their own transit. Sprouse has reportedly asked that transportation be provided for cast members that work late.

“They’re working these kids from morning until night,” a source familiar with Riverdale production and the accident told THR. “Someone’s going to die.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYYqAD_nhrl/

However, Warner Bros. Television disputed parts of THR‘s account in a statement to PEOPLE.

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“First and foremost, we are extremely grateful that KJ Apa was uninjured during his recent accident,” the statement reads. “Secondarily, we want to specifically address the characterization that conditions on the set of Riverdale are of concern. We have a large cast of series regulars, and our actors do not work every day. On the day of the accident, KJ worked 14.2 hours. The previous day he worked 2.5 hours, and the day before that he worked 7.7 hours. KJ has repeatedly been informed about making production aware if he is tired or feels unsafe, and if so, either a ride or hotel room will be provided for him. The accident occurred last Thursday. Additionally, it is untrue that KJ was taken to the hospital. He was treated by first responders on the scene and released by them. We also sent a doctor to his home later that same day for a follow-up to confirm his well-being.”

“The safety of the cast and crew on all of our productions is of paramount importance to the Studio,” WBTV added. “Productions adhere to the Screen Actors Guild–mandated turnaround time of 12 hours from wrap time to next day call time for cast members. In accordance with industry standard policy, if any cast or crew member feels tired or unsafe at any time after working, the Studio will provide a taxi, a driver or a hotel room upon request. This is communicated to all cast and crew, both in writing and verbally, at the beginning of production and is reiterated continuously throughout the duration of production.”

At the end of August, Apa posted a photo from set and gave a shout-out to the crew. “Another hot ass day in Beautiful British Columbia with these hard working legends. Love u guys!!!!!” he wrote.

This article originally appeared on PEOPLE

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