Elephant Falls On, Kills Handler

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Startled by a passing car, a 6,400-pound elephant named Carol stumbled while being led to a circus appearance and fell on her handler, who was crushed to death as the animal struggled to get back on its feet.

David Dickerson, 26, a lifelong circus worker from Ohio, died by the time the rescue helicopter reached Broward General Medical Center.

The accident at the Thunderbird Swap Shop cast a pall over the Hanneford Family Circus, which has been performing at the flea market since December.

``Nothing like this has ever happened before,'' said Cathy Hanneford, 23, one of the elephant trainers and a performer with the circus, which has been owned by her family for seven generations.

``This was just such a terrible thing,'' said Ellie Hochhauser, a friend of Dickerson who works at the Swap Shop, just west of Fort Lauderdale. ``He was just one of the sweetest, most harmless people in the world.''

It was an unexpected noise - probably the squeal of tires - that triggered the accident at about 10:40 a.m. yesterday. A driver drove his car up close to the elephants, stopped, drove around them and out of the parking lot.

``He drove right up to them and slammed on the brakes,'' Victoria Hanneford said.

The commotion startled the elephant so badly that she stumbled. Dickerson was caught under the Asian elephant and was crushed as the animal struggled to get back on her feet.

When the elephant finally got up, George Hanneford, 18, gave Dickerson cardiopulmonary resuscitation, said Victoria Hanneford, his mother. A number of spectators saw the accident, but it happened so quickly no one could help.

The driver of the car fled and remained unidentified. Broward sheriff's deputies are calling Dickerson's death an accident.

``I have asked them not to perform the elephants any more, until I find out what happened,'' said Preston Henn, Swap Shop owner.