Sarah Jones' parents settle 'Midnight Rider' lawsuit

SAVANNAH, Ga., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Richard and Elizabeth Jones have reached a settlement in their wrongful death lawsuit for daughter Sarah Jones.

Jones, a camera assistant, died at age 27 while shooting scenes for Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider in Doctortown, Ga., in February. Jones was killed and seven others injured when a train unexpectedly came through on the narrow bridge where they were filming.

Richard and Elizabeth Jones sued Allman, director Randall Miller, producer Jody Savin, and railroad company CSX Transportation, among others, in May. The suit claimed the defendants failed to follow safety precautions, and did not have permission to film on the railroad tracks.

"Richard and Elizabeth Jones' objectives in filing this lawsuit, after the death of their 27-year-old daughter, Sarah, have been clear and unwavering," Jones attorney Jeff Harris said in a statement Wednesday.

"To find out what happened on the day of their daughter's death, determine who was responsible, hold those who made bad decisions accountable and ensure this kind of tragedy never happens again on another film set. Today, we are another step closer to fully achieving those objectives."

The Joneses dropped Allman, executive producer Michael Lehman and film distributor Open Road Films from the lawsuit in October, and settled with Miller, Savin, executive producers Jay Sedrish and Don Mandrik, location manager Charles Baxter and five others.

"Elizabeth and I are dedicated to ensuring that our daughter's death is not in vain, and through our work with the Sarah Jones Film Foundation we continue to advocate for safer film sets -- keeping safety always at the forefront, never again an afterthought," Richard Jones asserted.

Miller, Savin, and Sedrish were charged with involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass by a Georgia grand jury in July. All three pleaded not guilty, and are scheduled for trial on March 9, 2015.