'Midnight Rider' Director Admits Train Accident 'Is Ultimately My Responsibility'
Movie

Director Randall Miller issues a statement from jail after he was sentenced to two years in prison in the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones.

AceShowbiz - "Midnight Rider" director Randall Miller has admitted the train accident that killed camera assistant Sarah Jones was his fault. The filmmaker has released a statement acknowleding his responsibility in the tragic accident after he was sentenced to two years in prison in the case.

"On Feb 20th, 2014, a great number of mistakes were made and the terrible accident occurred which took Sarah Jones' life. It was a horrible tragedy that will haunt me forever," the statement reads. "Although I relied on my team, it is ultimately my responsibility and was my decision to shoot the scripted scene that caused this tragedy."

"I pleaded guilty for three reasons: first, to protect my wife and family; second, out of respect for the Jones family and to not put them through a difficult trial; and, third, to take responsibility for my failure in not knowing that every safety measure was in place. The location manager, the production designer, the unit production manager, the cinematographer, assistant director and others all made mistakes that lead to this, but I have taken responsibility because I could have asked more questions and I was the one in charge."

"I have worked in the film industry as a director for 25 years and never had a significant accident of any kind on any one of my sets. I am heartbroken over this. I hope my actions have spared the Jones family more anguish and that the onset safety measures that were lacking before this terrible tragedy will now take precedence for all in the industry."

Miller's wife and "Midnight Rider" producer Jody Savin, who's cleared of the charge as part of his guilty plea deal, also says in a statement, "The accident, which took the life of Sarah Jones, has been tragic for everyone involved. Sarah's family is broken, and ours too. Our children and I love Randy so much and are trying to be strong for him as he has been so strong and brave for us."

Randall Miller pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing in the case of camera assistant Sarah Jones' death. In addition to the prison term, he's sentenced to eight years' probation after serving his jail time, ordered to pay a $25,000 fine and to perform 360 hours of community service. He is also barred from any directing or directorial duties during the duration of his sentence.

Executive producer Jay Sedrish, in the meantime, was sentenced to 10 years' probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.

In related news, a new video capturing the terror during the train accident has been obtained by ABC News. The video which was shot by one of the cameramen during the movie shoot showed the crewmembers rushing to get off the bridge as the train approached and part of the hospital bed's railing thrown off the track when the train passed the bridge.

Follow AceShowbiz.com @ Google News

You can share this post!

You might also like
Related Posts