SAVANNAH, Ga. — CSX Transportation reached a financial settlement with the family of a 27-year-old camera assistant killed on the Georgia set of "Midnight Rider" in 2014.
Sarah Jones was working on the film when a freight train moving at about 55 mph plowed into crew members shooting a scene set on a rail track in Jessup, Georgia. Officials said the film crew Jones was with did not have permission to be on the tracks the day she was killed.
It was the first day of shooting on "Midnight Rider" when the film's director Randall Miller and his crew stepped onto the rail bridge spanning the Altamaha River near Georgia's coast. Actor William Hurt was on the set in his role as singer Gregg Allman in his later years. A metal-framed bed was pulled across the tracks as a prop. When the train struck, it smashed the bed and hurled metal fragments at the fleeing crew.
The train struck and killed Jones, a young camera assistant from Atlanta who had worked on several TV series, including "Army Wives" and "The Vampire Diaries." Six other crew members were hurt.
The Los Angeles Times reported the settlement was filed Jan. 25 in Chatham County State Court in Savannah, according to Harris Lowry Manton LLP, the firm that represents the Jones family. Terms were not disclosed.
“This has been a long journey, and we’re deeply grateful for the support we’ve received from family, friends and members of the film community,” said Sarah Jones' father Richard Jones in a statement.
Miller pleaded guilty during a 2015 court case in connection with the crash. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges against his wife and business partner.
As part of that plea deal, Miller agreed to spend two years in the county jail and another eight on probation on involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing charges. Miller also agreed to pay a $20,000 fine.
Less than two weeks after his guilty plea, Miller issued a statement saying it was ultimately his responsibility that his crew ended up on the railroad bridge and in the path of the train that killed Jones.
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