FILM DEATH PROBED; VALLEY MAN ELECTROCUTED ON DISNEY SET.

Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer

State investigators Thursday began probing a freak accident at a Walt Disney Co. movie location that killed one crew member from Woodland Hills and injured another from Encino.

Matthew Gordy, 31, was electrocuted Wednesday when a camera boom he was handling with two other men hit a 12,000-volt power line in a remote San Bernardino County canyon where a crew was filming background shots for the film ``Dinosaur,'' sheriff's officials said.

Gordy was rushed by helicopter to Ridgecrest Regional Hospital in Ridgecrest after the accident, about 7:35 a.m., but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, sheriff's officials said.

A second grip, David Riggio, 33, was listed in serious but stable condition Thursday at the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital after suffering second- and third-degree burns over more than 5 percent of his body, hospital officials said. A third man, Otto Behancourt, was taken to Ridgecrest Hospital, where he was examined and released.

Terry Curtin, a Disney spokeswoman, said the three grips, who are generally responsible for heavy equipment on a film shoot, were part of a crew shooting backgrounds for a movie that will combine live action with animated characters. Filming had been under way at the location for the past three months.

Gordy's wife, Crista Gordy, questioned how the accident could have happened.

``I just want to know why it happened,'' she told KNBC-TV (Channel 4) in an interview Thursday. ``This isn't supposed to happen.

``I don't have any answers and I don't know why it happened.

``When I talked to him the night before, he said everything was fine. And I asked him specifically if he would be working with a crane and he said no.''

``I have a 1-year-old daughter who loves her father and another baby on the way, and I have to answer to them,'' she said.

Curtin said Disney flew Crista Gordy to the accident scene by helicopter and gave her all information available.

``We've extended every possible courtesy to the family. We have given them up-to-the-minute information on the state of the gentlemen who were in the accident and on the investigation,'' Curtin said.

In a written statement, Disney expressed sympathy to Gordy's family and extended the company's best wishes for recovery to Riggio.

All three were employed by the studio for this production only, Curtin said. She declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the accident, citing the investigation by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Dean Fryer, a spokesman for Cal-OSHA in San Francisco, said agency officials traveled to the remote site Thursday to begin their investigation, which will include interviewing other crew members on the set.

In general, the safety agency's guidelines restrict employees from coming closer then 10 feet to power lines unless the cables are disconnected, he said. All employers are required to provide adequate training to employees who work near the lines, he added.

``If employees are working around power lines, there needs to be training so employees are aware of the danger,'' Fryer said.

Fryer said if the investigation concludes that an employer did not provide proper training, the company could be cited. If the probe reveals that an employer knew about a potential danger but did nothing to correct it, the company could be fined up to $7,000, he said.

Cindy Beavers, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, said the agency had deemed the incident to be an industrial accident with no foul play and had turned the investigation over to Cal-OSHA.

Hospital officials said Riggio is expected to survive.

``He's young, he's healthy, he's 33. He has a fair chance of survival,'' said hospital spokesman Larry Weinberg.

On Thursday evening, Riggio was coherent, talking with his hospital guests and watching TV. Bandages covered his feet, hands and lower legs.

He is scheduled to undergo surgery Saturday morning to cut away dead and dying tissue. At that time, doctors will have a better idea of Riggio's long-term chances, Weinberg said.

Weinberg called Riggio's burns significant and warned he could face the loss of a toe, but said his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.

The accident occurred as the men were operating the boom arm during the filming in an area known as Poison Canyon, off Highway 178 south of Trona, San Bernardino County sheriff's officials said.

Curtin said the accident likely would not affect the production schedule for ``Dinosaur,'' which started filming about a year ago. No release date has been set for the film, but Curtin said animation features typically take five years to complete.

An official with the union local representing more than 2,000 movie grips, who declined to give his name, said the news of the accident involving the three men had thrown the group into mourning.

Daily News Staff Writers Peter Hartlaub and Brooke Olson contributed to this story.

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Photo

PHOTO Matthew Gordy of Woodland Hills, who died Wednesday at a remote film location, holds his daughter in this image released to television.

Courtesy KNBC-TV