02/20/2026
Hard to believe. 12 years! 12 years since the director of a movie titled MIDNIGHT RIDER placed his cast and crew onto an active railroad trestle over a river… without permission from the railroad! 12 years since that train suddenly appeared, horn blaring, moving at nearly 60 miles an hour. Panic ensued, and in desperation to save their own lives, everyone on the trestle had to run directly at that oncoming train to try to reach the only exit from the bridge! Assistant camerawoman Sarah Jones didn’t make it, the train ripping apart her body!
Following Sarah’s death, the film industry declared “enough is enough!” through an outpouring of anger and grief, with the Slates for Sarah movement going viral. So, given that emphatic declaration, what is the current state of film set safety? Is it better? Worse? Or has it even changed?
At its core, ‘Safety for Sarah’ has attempted to maintain awareness and accountability. And to keep Sarah’s story alive so that the next generation may hear what happened to Sarah when safety was willfully neglected.
But Sarah’s story will fade away without your help. Keep the ‘Safety for Sarah’ stickers displayed so that young people entering the industry might ask who this vibrant 27-year-old was, and why the memory of her is important. Then take a minute to tell Sarah’s story. Find out more about the work of the Sarah Jones Film Foundation and its Safety Grants for student filmmakers at safetyforsarah.com
Maintain awareness. If you don’t feel safe on set, say something to those around you, and use a union hotline to report your concern. As just one example, the IATSE anonymous hotline is 844-IA-SAFE-1 (844-427-2331).
So in this way, we can transform the needless tragedy of Sarah’s death into a powerful legacy for safety on set and care for our fellow human beings.
Sarah’s Dad,
Richard Jones
