Knott’s, Others Probe Death of Railroad Worker

Three investigations were launched Monday into the death of a Knott’s Berry Farm train operator who was crushed between two passenger cars of the Calico Railroad ride, officials of the theme park said.

Park officials said they do not know what caused the 6 p.m. Sunday accident that killed George Berecz, a 55-year-old fireman-engineer from Anaheim who had worked at the park for three years. His death was the park’s first employee fatality in its 76-year history.

Berecz was separating two of the train’s five cars when he was apparently caught and pressed between them, said Tom Mehrmann, vice president of park operations and entertainment. “It was something he’s performed literally thousands of times before.”

An inspector from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which investigates accidents at job sites, was at the park Monday morning to inspect the train.

Park officials have launched their own investigation into the accident and have contracted Triodyne Recreation Engineering, a Nevada-based company, to run the inquiry.

And the park’s insurance carrier, Industrial Indemnity, also will begin its own investigation for claims purposes.

Meanwhile, park employees are being provided with counseling if they want it, Mehrmann said. Officials are also staying in close contact with Berecz’s widow, Dorothy.

Dorothy Berecz said her husband “was a marvelous person.”

“There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for anyone,” she said. “He brought such joy to people, and I just can’t believe he’s gone.”

George Berecz was part of a three-person crew which, as a routine when the train runs, pulls apart the cars at the end of the day. The three maintain contact via radio as they separate the boxcars in a backstage area not open to the public.

The Calico Railroad, which has been closed pending the results of some or all of the investigations, does not run weekdays during the off-peak season.