Swimmer, 18, Dives Into Surf and Suffers a Broken Neck
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SAN CLEMENTE — An 18-year-old Lake Elsinore man suffered a broken neck Friday when he took a running, head-first dive into the surf and apparently struck the bottom near the shoreline, authorities said.
Curtis Swann was listed in critical condition in the intensive-care unit at Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center after being airlifted from a beach near the exclusive, Cyprus Shores neighborhood in south San Clemente.
Swann was treated at the scene by San Clemente Fire Department paramedics, Capt. Richard Northrup said, adding that Swann had a loss of sensation in his legs and minimal sensation in his arms shortly after the 5:15 p.m. accident.
Swann was pulled out of the surf by his girlfriend, who had accompanied him on a visit to the private beach, Northrup said.
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