Edison Cited for Violations Over Movie-Set Accident

BURBANK —  State regulators have cited Southern California Edison for rules violations related to a desert accident that electrocuted a Disney movie crew member and severely burned another man, just-released state documents show.

The state Public Utilities Commission found that the utility violated state rules because a “high voltage” warning sign was missing, and there was damaged equipment in the vicinity of the accident last February.

A steel camera boom used by the crew members rose into high-voltage wires on a remote desert location where backgrounds were being filmed for Disney’s upcoming film “Dinosaur.”

An Edison spokesman said the utility had made every effort to abide by state rules.

“We make it a practice to put the high-voltage signs wherever they’re required,” said SCE spokesman Tom Boyd. “But there are times that signs that are put up, come down. In this case I don’t know if that’s what happened. We will have to investigate.”

Matthew Gordy, 31, of Thousand Oaks was killed and 33-year-old David Riggio of Encino severely burned in the accident, which took place in Poison Canyon, near the remote desert hamlet of Trona, on Feb. 25.

Investigators later found that a counterweight mounted on a flatbed trailer was thrown off balance, causing a metal camera boom carrying Gordy and Riggio to rise into the high-voltage power lines.

Last April, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined Disney $5,000 for violating worker-safety laws after a two-month investigation.

In that inquiry, the agency found that Disney failed to post proper warning signs and institute necessary training for crew members handling the camera boom.

Earlier this year, the families of Riggio and Gordy filed a wrongful-death suit against the company in Los Angeles Superior Court in which they claimed Disney negligently managed the film production. They asked for unspecified compensatory damages.

The PUC report will not help their suit. PUC officials noted that under state law, the reports cannot be used “as evidence in any action for damages” arising out of such an incident.

The PUC documents were released publicly after the Walt Disney Co. requested a copy of the accident report filed by Southern California Edison and later asked the agency that the records be made public.