Executive producer of the Gregg Allman biopic, Jay Sedrish, has plead not guilty to manslaughter charges.
The film ‘Midnight Rider’ based on The Allman Brothers founder and singer-songwriter Gregg Allman, was suspended earlier this month, due to the arrest of the film’s director Randall Miller and the film’s producer, Jody Savin.
Jay Sedrish plead not guilty to charges of criminal trespassing and involuntary manslaughter. The charges stem from the death of 27-year-old camera assistant, Sarah Jones, who was struck and killed by a train that unexpectedly smashed through the set of Midnight Rider during the early days of production.
Seven other crew members were injured in the incident, which happened in February and is reported to have taken place while filming a dream sequence that involved a bed being placed on the railway tracks.
The incident has been a real wake up call for film crews and now the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has gotten involved citing Film Allman LLC, the film’s production company, for two safety violations in connection with the incident.
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, David Michaels said in a statement. “It is unacceptable that Film Allman LLC knowingly exposed their crew to moving trains while filming on a live track and railroad trestle.”
The citation fine could be as much as €56,000, the film production company has 15 days to contest the penalty.
The film’s director Randall Miller and the film’s producer, Jody Savin plead not guilty to the charges earlier this month.
