‘Midnight Rider’ Director, Producers Indicted in Crew Death
The director and two of the producers of the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider have been indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass over the fatal train crash that resulted in the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones.
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The Los Angeles Times reports that a grand jury in Georgia indicted director Randall Miller, along with producer Jody Savin and executive producer Jay Sedrish, on Thursday, July 3rd. If convicted, they could face a prison sentence of 10 years on the involuntary manslaughter charge.
The cast and crew of Midnight Rider were filming on a railroad bridge in Georgia on February 20th when a train came down the tracks unexpectedly. Jones was struck and killed and six other crew members were injured.
Jones’ parents filed a civil suit against the filmmakers and Gregg Allman in May. In response to the indictment, Jones’ father, Richard said that he and his wife would continue their fight for safer working conditions on film sets. “Elizabeth and I are comfortable that the authorities were both careful and meticulous in investigating and bringing charges related to the incident that took our daughter’s life,” Jones said. “We must allow the criminal justice process to proceed unhindered. Our mission remains the same: to ensure safety on all film sets. Safety for Sarah.”
Shooting on the film has been suspended in the wake of the accident. William Hurt, who was cast as Gregg Allman, dropped out of the project. In April, Gregg Allman asked Miller not to move forward with the film and even filed a lawsuit in order to stop the production, which he later dropped.