'Midnight Rider' Director Pleads Guilty in Death of Set Worker

Image Credit: Alberto Cabello/Flickr

The director of a movie about a legendary musician will spend two years in jail for an on-set accident which claimed the life of a camera assistant.

According to WSB-TV, Randall Miller pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and trespassing for the Feb. 20, 2014 death of Sarah Jones. Jones was hit and killed by a train on a bridge over the Altamaha River in Jessup on the first day of filming for ”Midnight Rider,” a biopic of Gregg Allman.

The “Midnight Rider” crew had received permission from CSX to shoot scenes near the railroad bridge, but had not been given permission to work on the structure itself. The crew had pulled a metal frame bed across the tracks for the scene, WSB-TV said. Six others were injured when the train demolished the bed and sent metal chunks flying in all directions.

Following Miller’s plea deal, he was sentenced to two years in the county jail, eight months on probation, and was ordered to pay a $20,000 fine, WSB-TV says. Allman has sued to prevent production of the film from continuing.