Two injured in beach accidents

Andrew Edwards

Two beachgoers suffered spinal cord injuries in swimming accidents at

Laguna beaches over the weekend, one of whom lifeguards initially

feared might be paralyzed.

Marine Safety Chief Mark Klosterman said lifeguards did not know

how Koichi Mori, a 23-year-old Japanese exchange student-athlete, was

hurt. An unknown man pulled Mori from the water just south of Hotel

Laguna at about 10 a.m. Saturday.

The rescuer left the beach before lifeguards could interview him

to find out what happened.

“We do not know the mechanism behind the injury,” Klosterman said.

Once Mori was in the hands of lifeguards, they learned he had very

little feeling below his neck and thought he may have been paralyzed

by the accident. He was airlifted to Mission Hospital, but as early

as Monday recovery looked more likely.

“He, it appears, has regained more feeling and strength,”

Klosterman said.

On Wednesday, his condition at Mission Hospital was listed as

serious.

Mori is a student and pole-vaulter at the Pacific Rim Language

Center in Rowland Heights in the San Gabriel Valley. The school’s

director, Kurt Swain, said the entire school was affected by the

accident.

“We hope for the best,” Swain said. “But if you had been on our

small campus Monday, everyone was in shock.”

Mori finished third in an elite pole vault competition at the 2004

Steve Scott Invitational track meet on May 2 at UC Irvine. He took

fourth at the Claremont Classic on May 11 and also competed in the

April Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut.

“We’re pulling for him,” Swain said. “It’s a tragedy for a young

guy, a young athlete.”

On July 16, an 18-year-old woman from Missouri was taken to

Mission Hospital via helicopter with a spinal cord injury that

officials said appeared to be less severe than Mori’s. At about 4:30

p.m., a wave knocked her down, causing her to hit her head on the

ocean floor. Lifeguards did not release the woman’s name, but

Klosterman said he believed her prognosis was hopeful.

“I understand [she] has regained most of her feeling and

movement,” he said.

Last year, 32 spinal cord injuries were reported at Laguna

beaches, but most weren’t serious. About 95% to 98% of the cases end

with patients being released from the hospital suffering only from

cervical strain, Klosterman said.

When beachgoers injure their spinal cords, the injuries usually

don’t result from diving into shallow water, Klosterman said. The

most frequent culprits are powerful waves -- the surf can throw

novice bodyboarders or bodysurfers to the bottom or blindside

beachgoers as they wade in the ocean.