Filmmakers indicted in train crash that killed camera assistant Sarah Jones

SAVANNAH, Ga. (KABC) -- Three filmmakers have been indicted on felony charges related to a fatal crash on a film location in Georgia in February.

The movie about singer Gregg Allman, "Midnight Rider," was being filmed in a rural part of Georgia when a 27-year-old camera assistant was killed and six other crew members were struck by a train while shooting footage on Feb. 20.

Filmmakers did not have permission to be filming on the CSX Railroad tracks, though they did have permission to be on property surrounding the tracks.

The train was traveling 55 mph when it crashed into the crew and a bed that had been placed on the tracks as a prop. The parents of the deceased woman, 27-year-old Sarah Jones, have filed a civil lawsuit against the three indicted filmmakers and others.

Director Randall Miller, wife and business partner Jody Savin and executive producer Jay Sedrish were indicted on grand jury charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing on Thursday.

The indictment charges Miller, Savin and Sedrish with unintentionally causing Jones' death by trespassing onto the railroad bridge. The filmmakers went onto the train trestle even after CSX denied them access, the indictment says.

Three civil lawsuits, including the one by Jones' parents, related to the train crash are pending. Miller bristled at the suggestion that he was cavalier about his crew's safety when he took the witness stand during a court appearance in May. He said his assistants were in charge of securing location permits, and that crew members were along the track to look out for trains during filming.

"I did not know it was a live train trestle," Miller said. "We were told there were two trains from Rayonier coming through, and no more trains that day."

Involuntary manslaughter is a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison under Georgia law. Criminal trespass is a misdemeanor punishable by no more than a year in prison.

None of the accused filmmakers, who live in California, have been arrested. They will likely be allowed to travel to Georgia and turn themselves in at a later date, said Joe Gardner, the lead sheriff's investigator in the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.