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Apologetic ‘Mythbusters’ talk about cannonball accident

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The ‘Mythbusters’ guys are coming to say sorry -- in person.

One day after a cannonball experiment went awry in a Bay Area suburb, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of Discovery Channel’s popular science show said Wednesday they were headed to meet with families affected by the incident.

No injuries were reported, but the 30-pound cannonball flew 700 yards off course from a police firing range, bounced off a roof and ripped through another home in Dublin before settling in a nearby van. While Savage and his team are still investigating the incident, he said the cannon involved in the experiment was aimed too high.

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‘We feel really lucky and fortunate that, after a nearly perfect safety record over eight years, that this mishap didn’t lead to anybody being injured,’ Savage said in a phone interview. ‘We’re gathering all the information we can ... Our main concern is making sure this never happens again.’

Savage and Hyneman were not present; the experiment was being conducted by their colleagues Tory Belleci, Kari Byron and Grant Imahara. Shooting was stopped once the crew learned what had happened.

The production company will cover the victims for property damages as well as any hotel charges, Savage said.

‘Mythbusters’ test whether common assumptions and urban legends can withstand scientific scrutiny. The series has drawn wide praise for following scientific method and introducing many young people to the concepts involved in research and experimentation.

Savage said that despite the mishap, the cannon episode will still air, mostly likely in the spring.

The accident is ‘by far the most serious event that has occurred’ on the show, Hyneman added. But he and his partner are taking it seriously. ‘It’s one of the reasons we have such a good safety record overall,’ he said.

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-Scott Collins (twitter.com/scottcollinsLAT)

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