Gregg Allman movie production company cited over on-set death

[August 15, 2014]  (Reuters) - Federal safety officials on Thursday cited the production company formed to make a film about rock singer Gregg Allman for exposing its workers to grave risk, after an incident in which a crew member died on the Georgia set of "Midnight Rider."Camera assistant Sarah Elizabeth Jones, 27, was killed and eight other crew members were injured when an oncoming train tore through the set while they installed equipment to film on active train tracks and a trestle bridge near Savannah in February.

The incident, which sparked an awareness campaign in Hollywood about safety for crews on film sets, led to film director Randall Miller and his wife, producer Jody Savin, being indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter last month in Georgia.

The pair has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"It is unacceptable that Film Allman LLC knowingly exposed their crew to moving trains while filming on a live track and railroad trestle," Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels said in a statement.

The citation comes with a recommended penalty of $74,900 and allows the company 15 days to contest the finding.

A representative for Unclaimed Freight Production Inc., which is owned by Miller and Savin and has the same mailing address as Film Allman LLC, in which the pair also own a stake, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky in New Orleans; Additional reporting by Eric Kelsey in Los Angeles; Editing by Eric Beech)

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