Sarah Jones was remembered by The Vampire Diaries after the young crew member died on the set of a movie filming in Georgia, and the show’s producer hopes the tragedy can raise awareness of on-set safety.
Jones was on the crew of the popular CW television show, but was working on the set of the movie Midnight Rider when she was struck by a train and killed. This week the show aired a special tribute to Jones, one that aimed to raise awareness of on-set safety.
After the February 27 episode of The Vampire Diaries concluded, the screen faded to black and a message was shown:
“In Loving Memory of Sarah Jones, 1986 – 2014.”
The tribute was a success in that it drew attention to Sarah Jones and her death. Her name became one of the week’s biggest internet search trends, and the celebrity news outlet Hollywood Life spoke to Vampire Diaries producer Caroline Dries about her memory.
Dries said the show hopes to raise awareness about set safety, so that Sarah Jones did not die in vain.
“What we said to the crew the day after we learned [about Sarah’s death] was ‘no shot will ever be as important as you, as your friends, as your family… as you are as people,” she said. “This is not the end of the world. This job will never be the end of the world. You are always the most important person; the most important thing.’ ”
The show’s cast members are also trying to remember Sarah Jones. Star Nina Dobrev has urged her 4.45 million Twitter followers to sign a petition asking that Jones be included in the Oscar tribute to people who have died in the past year.
The Slates for Sarah campaign included a message from Dobrev that read, “Sarah Jones had the most beautiful spirit and a smile that lit up our set for years.”
