The director of Midnight Rider – the biopic on the life of Gregg Allman which began shooting in February and halted after a fatal on-set train crash – has been indicted on criminal charges along with two others involved in the film.
Randall Miller, along with his wife and business partner Jody Savin, and the film’s executive producer, Jay Severish, are being charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass.
The crash happened February 20th when, just days into filming, an oncoming train slammed into a bed frame movie crew had placed on the tracks. The resulting accident killed 27-year-old camera assistant Sarah Jones and injured six others.
The film’s producers obtained permission to shoot on industrial property near the tracks but did not have permission to be working on the tracks themselves. Cast and crew who were on set at the time of the accident have said they were not given enough time or any direction as far as how to safely and quickly get out of the way of oncoming trains.
Miller, Savin and Severish face up to 10 years in prison for the involuntary manslaughter charge.
Three civil lawsuits by victims of the crash have also come up against the defendants and various companies involved in the film’s production. Gregg Allman was also named as a defendant in those suits.