Man OK after car lands in...

Man OK after car lands in wetlands

Mark Sadang, 22, of Lakewood was driving home along Pacific Coast

Highway near Bolsa Chica State Beach last week when he lost control

of his car and landed in the Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

Sadang lost control of his 2000 Audi A4 when he tried to avoid an

animal in the road, said Huntington Beach Police Department Lt. Ron

Burgess.

Although he wasn’t sure what kind of animal it was, Sadang said he

did his best to avoid it.

“I didn’t want to hit it,” explained a shaken but unharmed Sadang.

He jumped out of the car as soon as it came to a stop in the

wetlands where it landed partially submerged.

Several motorists who saw the accident stopped and attempted to

help him, Sadang said.

Police do not believe that alcohol or drugs played a part in the

accident, Burgess said. The car was pulled out of the water by a

flat-bed tow truck and taken away, much to Sadang’s dismay.

“It was a birthday present,” he said sadly.

While accidents are not all that unusual on the busy stretch of

highway, most are able to avoid the water, Burgess said.

“I can’t remember the last time it happened,” he said. “He’s a

lucky kid.”

On June 5, 2001 David B. Rabin, 48, of Huntington Beach died after

his sport utility vehicle sunk into the Bolsa Chica wetlands. He was

found by a passing motorist beneath 15 feet of water.

Lifeguards saved heart attack victim

Lifeguards rescued a man who may have been having a heart attack

while swimming off Huntington Beach.

A 50-year-old man was swimming when he began to experience chest

pain around 2 p.m. on Aug. 21.

Lifeguards pulled the man out of the water and called paramedics

who then took him to Hoag Hospital, said Marine Safety Lt. Kyle

Lindo.

While lifeguards are not sure if he was having a heart attack

while in the water, paramedics told Marine Safety Officers that the

man did suffer a heart attack in the ambulance shortly before

arriving at the emergency room at Hoag Hospital.

New system locates known sex offenders

The Huntington Beach Police Department has installed a computer

that will allow Surf City residents to access the Megan’s Law

database.

Under the state’s Megan’s Law, named for a New Jersey kidnapping

victim, the California public has access to data about sex offenders

via telephone or at sheriff’s offices. The new computer system will

allow residents to find out if people with criminal sexual offenses

are living in their neighborhood by computer. Residents with a valid

identification can access the computer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and

Thursdays from 1 to 5 p.m.

The computer is at the Detective Bureau Reception Desk located on

the second floor of the Police Department.

Anyone wanting more information can call the Huntington Beach

Police Department at (714) 536-5951.