Eastern Railroad Discussion > CSX train strikes film crew in Doctortown, GA; one dead

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/02/20/us/ap-us-film-crew-train-crash.html?hp

Unclear from the report whether the film crew was trespassing or if they had authorization and something went (obviously) badly wrong.

A little more detail (not much) in http://www.wsav.com/story/24780061/one-killed-two-injured-in-wayne-county-train-accident

This has some more details:

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

That last article still is confusing - it could imply that they had permission ("A whistle warned the crew members of the next train, giving them less than a minute, which was too late.") but that seems hard to believe. Plus they mention three trains on a single track bridge.

More info is needed, but it hard to believe that a film crew would do something like this in broad daylight. This isn't amatuer photography or something.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/14 20:57 by inCHI.

I don't think CSX was informed of the film crew, sign on the fence says see Rayonier guard for access, to me it looks like the film crew overstepped their access by trespassing on the bridge , my view, I'm waiting on the facts, just the facts though

Ed Stewart
Jacksonville, FL

Just to make sure things don't get confused - those Portsmouth shots, while stupid, are not related to this news item, correct?

"An eyewitness told Variety the movie crew was filming a dream sequence on a railroad trestle when a train unexpectedly crossed the bridge.

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."

This quote from the Variety article leads me to believe that the film crew was on the property with permission and some sort of miss communication between the film crew and the railroad as to what was to take place may have occured.

Michael

Clinchfield3000 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "An eyewitness told Variety the movie crew was
> filming a dream sequence on a railroad trestle
> when a train unexpectedly crossed the bridge.
>
> 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."
>
> This quote from the Variety article leads me to
> believe that the film crew was on the property
> with permission and some sort of miss
> communication between the film crew and the
> railroad as to what was to take place may have
> occured.
>
> Michael

correct i agree ... now with that being said in my over 35 years with the railroad, anytime a PROFESSIONALLY RESPONSIBLE <<< key words] non railroad entity such as contractors, first responders, or in this case a film crew wants/has to encroach on railroad property they contact the railroad and provide what the reason is for their encroachment and then a plan is made ... once this is done there is ALWAYS a railroad representative on location in the form a train conductor, MW frm, Trainmaster that will get foul time or track out of service to provide PROTECTION for them from the movement of trains ... i would venture to say that this didn't occur in the scenario and the film crew thought whatever contact they had with the railroad if any was enough information for them to proceed onto the bridge ... i know FOR SURE the railroad isn't going to let ANYBODY just come onto their property without the PROPER FORM OF PROTECTION which is in everybody's interest ... the worse case scenario for the railroad would be if a railroad rep was on location and this happened but i think if that was the case that would've definitely been reported ...

here's a sat image of the location:

https://goo.gl/maps/Rbxov



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/14 23:01 by Out_Of_Service.

..



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/14 22:38 by darkcloud.

The allure of the steel rail as a photo prop is ubiquitous. Here, a wedding couple straddles the CP mainline in Banff, Alberta last September.

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Dumber than a bag of hammers!!!

Track speed through there is quick with clear signals.

Long heavy trains...both ways...

611

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/movie-crewmember-killed-georgia-set-682338

Hollywood Reporter has a story about a film crew shooting on a CSX bridge in Georgia when a train came through. One person, a young camera operator, was killed and several injured.

No details, but I am guessing they did not have permission to be on that bridge at the time of the accident.

I haven't worked with CSX in a long time, but experience tells me that no RR would authorize filming on their property without have at least one, and probably more, officials on site and that the location would be protected with track & time authorization.

This sad event reportedly happened on Thursday about 4:30 pm

Last year a movie Crew was making a train video and railroad had a 30 mile a hour speed block (track speed is 70) with a foreman and police on sit. Sad Preys go out to the Family of the killed camera operator.

This makes no sense. I used to work in the film industry and have worked with CSX on set with active tracks twice. Both times, there were no less than 3 people around us at all times. Every single shot that we did required a job and safety briefing. We didn't even think of lokking at the tracks without getting permission from the CSX man on set. Safety was drilled into everyone on set to the point of almost being overwhelming.. However I fully understand why. When you have all that equipment set up and possibly fouling a track, you don't move it that quickly, you can't... Nothing is done with a quickness on set, except maybe for lunch! Even the occasion we were shooting on a yard track that wasn't being used we had to follow all the same rules as if it were a main. It will be interesting once we get actual facts, but it's very odd sounding that they had permission and something like this happened. Totally possible, but with what I experienced working with them on a set was very controlled and checked, double checked, and then checked and verified again.

Mike Cyr
Holiday, FL
Jointed Rail Productions



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/14 22:00 by Funnelcam.

No permission to be on the tracks
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/investigator-midnight-rider-crew-wasnt-supposed-to-be-on-tracks-1201115835/

Members of a film crew, working on a movie of Greg Allman's 2012 memoir " My Cross to Bear" were struck on CSX track near Jesup, Ga. this week:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/21/movie-crew-hit-by-train-wasnt-supposed-be-on-track-officials-say/?intcmp=latestnews



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/14 20:04 by AmtrakJulie.

They seemed to believe they had track and time after 2 trains. Four others were struck by props left on the tracks. From I.A.T.S.E. Local 600: We are shocked and saddened by the loss of Atlanta area Camera Assistant, Sarah Elizabeth Jones. Sarah was an active and proud member of Local 600 and a well respected Camera Assistant, much loved by those who worked with her. She will be deeply missed.

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WSB-TV in Atlanta produced a 30-minute program on the Southern Crescent sometime in the late 1970s. Perhaps it was around the time that Southern relinquished the train to Amtrak; I don't recall. A photographer for WSB was struck and killed by a train during filming. I believe it happened on double track near the Fulton-Dekalb border. The crew probably didn't realize that both tracks were signaled for bidirectional running.

alamode Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No permission to be on the tracks
> http://variety.com/2014/film/news/investigator-mid
> night-rider-crew-wasnt-supposed-to-be-on-tracks-12
> 01115835/


"The railroad had also told the production that if any additional trains came, they’d hear a whistle about a minute before the train would reach the bridge".

So, the film crew thought they could remove a bed and all manner of people from a bridge in less than a minute? Shades of "band" Great White and The Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island. Young lives lost due to utter stupidity of others. Welcome the "Facebook" generation....if there is no one there to tell them what to do and think, they are lost. How could anyone ....no matter their IQ....after no doubt knowing how long it took them to get the bed out there....not look at each other and say......".....um.....gee...it took us more than a minute to get this bed out here....sooooooooooo....maybe this is not such a great idea if we will have less than a minute to get ourselves and the bed off the bridge and get in the clear????" How sad that a young woman with a promising career dies because of the sheer and inexcusable stupidity of others whom she trusted to keep her safe under their employ.

The other pictures people posted show clearly that there are lots of Darwin Award candidates out there.....and as the images show.....determined to make the innocent pay for their ignorance.

Bob

"The railroad had also told the production that if any additional trains came, they’d hear a whistle about a minute before the train would reach the bridge".

that statement is going to be the focal point of scrunity by both parties during litigation ... it doesn't give permission to encroach onto railroad property but it somewhat implies the railroad knew the film crew wold be perhaps in close proximity just by the crew asking about train movements(a red flag they want access)had acknowledged train movement which the railroad should not disclose for the exact reason here of someone taking something out of context and misconstruing what had been communicated