Alcohol Plays Role in Deaths of Camp Pendleton Marines

Camp Pendleton Marines

Alcohol and unsafe speed were the primary causes of a Dana Point crash that killed three Camp Pendleton-based U.S. Marines and left a fourth serviceman fighting for his life, a sheriff's spokesman said Wednesday.

The rain-slick roadway was a lesser contributing factor to the crash that occurred at 2:05 a.m. Tuesday, said Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

He said the lone survivor, who was behind the wheel, remains in extremely critical condition at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

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Tony Gwynn Update

San Diego baseball icon Tony Gwynn was resting comfortably at UC San Diego's Thornton Hospital Wednesday after surgery for a cancerous tumor in his cheek, the hospital said.

Initial indications are that the cancer has not spread, but because the nerve that controls movement on the right side of his face had to be removed in the operation Gwynn had Tuesday, the Hall of Famer might not regain function in that area for 18 months, according to a statement from the hospital.

Gwynn, who had cancer surgery in the same spot in August 2010, has said he chewed smokeless tobacco throughout his 20-year career with the Padres, and for many years after, and blames the substance for his condition. He has been the head coach at San Diego State University since his playing days ended.

The hospital's statement said Gwynn was "in good spirits," but it was too early to forecast the outcome of the procedure.

The hospital said doctors had to remove the cancerous growth and nearby scar tissue from previous treatments. The tumor was intertwined with a main facial nerve, which also had to be taken out.

A nerve from his neck was then grafted onto the remaining branches of the facial nerve. The surgery was completed with reconstruction of the area where the tumor was removed, according to the statement.

Students Infected With Tuberculosis

One individual each at adult schools in Oceanside and San Diego were diagnosed with tuberculosis and may have exposed students, faculty and staff, health officials said today.

The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency said the infected individuals were at the MiraCosta College Community Learning Center's Adult High School Diploma Program, at 1831 Mission Ave. in Oceanside, and at the Mid- City Continuing Education Campus, at 3792 Fairmount Ave. in San Diego.

The HHSA said the period of exposure at MiraCosta College could have been from Nov. 22 to Dec. 27 of last year and the period of exposure at Mid- City was from Sep. 6, 2011, to Jan. 26 of this year.

The county will offer free testing at MiraCosta on Feb. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon and at Mid-City on the same day from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Those who might have been exposed will be notified, according to the HHSA. The agency did not identify who was ill or release their conditions.

"TB spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes," said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county public health officer. "Typically, only people who have had close, extended contact with the infected person run the risk of contracting the disease."

Most people who are exposed to TB do not develop the disease, Wooten said. She said the illness can be treated and cured with medication, so it is important to identify those who have been exposed.

So far this year in San Diego County, 22 cases of TB have been diagnosed. Last year, 263 cases were discovered, an 18 percent increase over the previous year.

-City News Service