Randall Miller and Jody Savin, the two members of the film crew behind Gregg Allman's biopic, Midnight Rider, have finally broken their silence since surrendering to the Wayne County Sherrif's Department and pleading not guilty just a few days ago. The two, who were up on charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing, are now claiming that the death of 27-year-old camera assistant, Sarah Jones, was not a crime.
In a recent statement posted on Billboard, the two said, "In the weeks and months that follow when the true facts of the events are revealed, people will know that this was not a crime: we never had criminal intent; we would never knowingly or intentionally put anybody's safety at risk."
They added, "This was a horrible tragedy and a horrific accident."
Jones was struck by a train on February 20 while the team was filming on train tracks without permission. Miller is the film's director-producer and Savin is the producer-writer.
The crew member's death has been used as an example in order to establish better safety standards for the below-the-line film crew, especially during non-union shoots.
Both Miller and Savin have been in the entertainment industry for quite some time, with 24 years and 10 films on their resume. In that time, the two claim they've never had "a significant injury or accident of any kind."
"All of our movies have been union films," they continued. "No crew member has ever left one of our movies over a concern about safety. As members of the WGA, the DGA, SAG, the Television Academy and the IATSE, we believe in living up to the aspirations of those organizations."
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