affected production, and had permanent consequences. Burstyn's back injury during the scene where the possessed Regan throws Chris backwards before the head-spinning, the take used in the film, left her unable to film for two weeks and using crutches for the remainder of the production; the coccyx fracture she suffered has caused her continuing problems since it was inadequately treated at the time; in 2018 she described it as "a permanent companion". Blair also injured her back, fracturing her lower spine after being too loosely strapped to the bed when it was being rocked; the take was also used in the finished film. She developed scoliosis as a result: "[It] was far more serious than I ever imagined and really affected my health negatively for a long time." She further developed a lifelong aversion to cold due to having to spend so much time in the refrigerated bedroom set wearing only a nightgown and long underwear. A carpenter cut his thumb off and a lighting technician similarly lost a toe in another accident. There were also more deaths among people connected with the film and their family members. Among the cast, MacGowran died a week after completing his scenes as Dennings with the character's death; Maliaros also passed away, like her character, before the film was finished. Deaths among or close to the crew included the night watchman and the operator of the refrigeration system for Regan's room, along with the assistant cameraman's newborn child. Blair's grandfather died during the first week of production, and von Sydow had to return to Sweden after his first day on set shooting the entrance scene after he learned that his brother had died, adding another delay to the production. Miller's son Jason Patric nearly died when, while he and his father were out at the beach, a motorcycle that unexpectedly appeared struck him, leaving him in critical condition and requiring weeks in intensive care to heal from the injuries. Several years after the film's release, Paul Bateson, the radiological technician in the angiography scene, was convicted of murder in the death of journalist Addison Verrill; in 2015 Hatra, the World Heritage Site where the prologue had been shot, was demolished by ISIL militants. Friedkin believed that there might have been some supernatural interference with the film. "I'm not a convert to the occult", he told the horror-film magazine, Castle of Frankenstein, "but after