The parents of Sarah Jones, a camera assistant killed while working on the set of the movie ‘Midnight Rider’ in 2014, were awarded $11.2 million in damages by a jury on Monday, July 17.
Jones was working on the set of the Gregg Allman biopic in Georgia on a railway when a train struck and killed her. Several other crewmembers were also injured during the filming of that scene.
Several federal and state investigations were launched following the accident, and the film industry called for an increased attention to safety on sets across the world.
According to attorneys representing the train operator, the film crew was not authorize to shoot on the railway. Despite this, the jury found that CSX, the train’s operator, was primarily liable for the accident.
“Elizabeth and I have spent the last 3 plus years wanting to understand how our daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Jones, tragically lost her life,” Richard and Elizabeth Jones said in a statement. “That search has now come to a close…. We felt that this trial was necessary in order to learn what happened that tragic day of February 20, 2014. It is only with the discovery of what could have been done differently that we might avoid another similar tragic loss of life.”
Domina Law Group is currently representing Bryce David Dion in a case similar to this one. Dion was a cameraman working on the show ‘COPS’ – during a standoff between an armed robber and police, Dion was positioned where the officers instructed him to be before he was reportedly shot and killed by a late-responding officer. Domina Law Group released a statement about the incident:
“Mistakes happen. When firearms are involved they can be fatal. Here, the special relationship between Mr. Dion and the police may not have been fully communicated, the officer who fired the fatal shot may not have been adequately informed, or some other error or omission may account for what occurred. We are hopeful we will make a financial recovery on behalf of Mr. Dion’s family who is devastated by what happened.”
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