 2ND UPDATE, 12:30 PM: The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office said today that the victim’s name is Sarah Elizabeth Jones from Atlanta. One of the injured was flown to a Savannah hospital while others were taken to Wayne Memorial Hospital for treatment. Sarah Elizabeth Jones, 27, of Atlanta was fatally struck by a train while working as a member of Savannah-based Meddin Studios on the movie, "Midnight Rider." In its most recent statement about the incident, the department said "This investigation is ongoing and CSX Railroad personnel, Rayonier Mill personnel, and the film crew personnel are all cooperating in the investigation. Due to the ongoing investigation no further information can be released at this time." UPDATE, 9:10 AM: Open Road Films says it is not pulling out of the Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider: The Gregg Allman Story, despite information Deadline was told to the contrary by those involved with the film. "The company says it still plans to release the picture in the U.S. but does not have a release date set," it reported Friday, following earlier reports indicating Open Road Films would withdraw from the project. Detective Joe Gardner of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department told Deadline that the crew was on the tracks filming a scene in Jesup, GA yesterday at about 4 PM local time and couldn’t get out of the way in time when a CSX train travelling from Memphis to Savannah arrived unexpectedly. The 27-year-old woman, who Variety reported was the second camera assistant, was killed after trying to remove a mattress from the tracks, and it did have permission to shoot in the location, Gardner said during a press conference yesterday. “All of us on the production team are devastated by the tragic accident that happened today,” the production said in a release sent late last night. Meddin released a statement: "Our hearts are heavy today, as we continue to keep the entire crew, as well as their families, in our thoughts and prayers.
– A movie crew shooting a film about the life of singer Gregg Allman was hit by a train this week in Jesup, Georgia, killing one crew member and injuring seven others, the AP reports. The crew was working on the tracks without permission on Thursday afternoon—either on the trestle that bridges the Altamaha River or on the river's edge—when a train hit the crew and their equipment, killing 27-year-old Sarah Jones. One other crew member was hurt seriously enough to be flown to a hospital in Savannah. The crew had an arrangement with the railway, CSX Railroad, but didn't have permission to film on the tracks, said the top detective on the case. He told WTOC that the investigation will be considered a homicide for now, "to ensure that we err on the side of caution." The Open Roads Films project—Midnight Rider, starring William Hurt—will still be released but there's no release date just yet, Deadline reports. Meanwhile, messages and tweets are emerging that grieve for Jones' tragic death, reports AccessAtlanta. "Sarah, you will be missed dearly," wrote an actress who has worked with her. "Your smile and love for life ... your daily ambition to make others smile ... will be remembered as long as we live."