On Thursday, the director and two of the producers of the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider were indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass after an on-set train accident killed one crew member and injured six others in February. Director Randall Miller, producer Jody Savin, and executive producer Jay Sedrish were all indicted by a Georgia grand jury and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, Rolling Stone reports.
The accident occured on February 20th during filming on a Wayne County, GA railroad bridge, in which a train unexpectedly ran down the tracks, resulting in the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones, who was just 27. The film's producers allegedly did not receive permission to film on the tracks, which has resulted not only in this recent indictment, but also a civil suit filed against the producers, including Gregg Allman, by the parents of Sarah Jones in May.
As for the current status of Midnight Rider, which is based on Allman's 2012 biography My Cross To Bear, "shooting on the film has been suspended in the wake of the accident," reports Rolling Stone. "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 was later dropped."
The Los Angeles Times points out in its report that "Criminal prosecutions resulting from film set deaths are rare. There appear to be even fewer convictions."
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