Train strikes Allman biopic film crew, woman dead

[alp227]

Source: AP

DOCTORTOWN, Ga. (AP) — Authorities in south Georgia say a woman working with a film crew has been struck and killed by a train while making a biopic about musician Gregg Allman.

Wayne County Sheriff's Detective Joe Gardner tells WSAV-TV it happened after the crew had placed a mattress on a set of railroad tracks in Doctortown while filming the movie "Midnight Rider."

Authorities have said several other crew members were injured and details on their injuries weren't immediately available. Sheriff John Carter told WTOC-TV that two of the crew members sustained serious injuries.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/train-strikes-allman-biopic-film-crew-woman-dead

[DRoseDARs]

1. Someone's going to jail for this, and it ain't the engineer. nt

[PoliticAverse]

2. Another article with additional details...

http://coastalcourier.com/section/10/article/64368/

One member of a Savannah-based Meddin Studios film crew shooting the Greg Allman biopic, "Midnight Rider," was killed in a train accident around 4:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon in Jesup, according to Wayne County Sheriff's Office Investigator Joe Gardner. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS personnel. Seven others were injured, one of whom was taken by helicopter to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, where her condition is unknown.

The 20-person crew was filming on Doctortown Road and reportedly had just placed a mattress on the tracks to film a dream sequence when a train, operated by CSX Corp., arrived unexpectedly.

[DRoseDARs]

4. Was it a ninja train? Trains aren't all that quiet, and this happened in daylight.

I predict "negligent homicide" charges for the film crew.

[AtheistCrusader]

5. Seriously, if ~200 tons of ANYTHING can sneak up on you

whatever it is you are doing, you're doing it wrong.

[TwilightGardener]

3. Mattress on railroad tracks. Yep, one of the dumber ways to die.

How is it that non-drunk people with proper mobility couldn't get off the tracks in time?

[Recursion]

6. How the hell is a train "unexpected"?

They aren't exactly sneaky.

[2naSalit]

7. Interesting

that they chose to film on an active line... I mean WTF? There are lots of closed/no longer in use sets of tracks in GA, one would think they might have thought that one out a little longer.

[PoliticAverse]

8. Some additional info...

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/midnight-rider-crew-member-killed-in-georgia-train-accident-1201114468/

The crew, including director Randall Miller, had placed a bed on the tracks for the scene and was expecting two trains on the local bridge, one in each direction, when a third train arrived unexpectedly.

A whistle warned the crew members of the next train, giving them less than a minute, which was too late.

Miller, who also directed the 2008 film “Bottle Shock,” and the still photographer rushed to get the bed off the tracks while the rest of the crew tried to get off the bridge on a plank walk-way. They were still trying to get off the bridge when the train arrived.The second camera assistant was then struck and killed by the train.

Miller had fallen onto the tracks before the train arrived but the still photographer pulled him off, according to the witness, saving his life. The bed was then hit by the train and exploded. That debris hit and injured several people, including one seriously, who was airlifted to Savannah’s Memorial Health University Medical Center.

[valerief]

9. Uh, computer graphics saves lives, especially with dream sequences. Totally reckless. nt