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6 | February 1, 2018 | Malibu surfside news News
malibusurfsidenews.com
Male dead, dog saved after crash near Mugu Rock
Lauren Coughlin, Editor
A 92-year-old male from
Ventura was declared dead
on the evening of Tuesday,
Jan. 23, after rescuers
responded to a crashed car
in the ocean just south of
Mugu Rock.
Capt. Stan Ziegler, a
public information officer
for the Ventura County Fire
Department, said the incident
was called in at 5 p.m.
The location, which is off
of Pacific Coast Highway
but does not have an exact
address, is in unincorporated
Ventura County.
Officials from the California
Highway Patrol,
Oxnard Fire Department
and Ventura County Fire
Department responded.
Ziegler said officials
used thermal imaging to
search for occupants of
the vehicle. The deceased,
who was ejected from the
car and found among the
rocky shore, was determined
to be the lone occupant
of the vehicle.
A dog was also found in
the vehicle.
“That pet was rescued
alive and cared for by witnesses
of the accident until
animal services arrived
on scene,” Ziegler said.
Officials left the scene
at 7:30 p.m.
Ziegler noted that the
car was ultimately removed
from the surf on
the morning of Wednesday,
Jan. 24.
The Ventura County
Medical Examiner’s Office
said it is investigating
the incident as a suicide.
RIGHT: A car was found
in the surf Tuesday, Jan.
23, near Point Mugu
Rock. Ventura County Fire
Department
Prescription drugs among contributors to Tom Petty’s death
Petty’s family
speaks out after
coroner’s ruling is
released
Lauren Coughlin, Editor
Malibu musician Tom
Petty’s cause of death has
officially been determined.
According to the Los
Angeles County Coroner’s
Office report, the 66-yearold’s
Oct. 2, 2017 death
was ruled as accidental and
included several causes.
In addition to cardiac arrest
and multisystem organ
failure, the coroner’s report
noted that several prescription
drugs — including
fentanyl, oxycodone,
temazepam, alprazolam,
citalopram and acetyl fentanyl
— were found in his
system.
A statement signed by
Tom Petty’s wife, Dana,
and one of his daughters,
Adria Petty, was posted
to the Tom Petty and the
Heartbreakers Facebook
page and on www.tompet
ty.com on Jan. 19.
“Unfortunately Tom’s
body suffered from many
serious ailments including
emphysema, knee problems
and most significantly
a fractured hip,” the statement
reads. “Despite this
painful injury he insisted
on keeping his commitment
to his fans and he toured for
53 dates with a fractured
hip and, as he did, it worsened
to a more serious injury.
On the day he died he
was informed his hip had
graduated to a full on break
and it is our feeling that the
pain was simply unbearable
and was the cause for
his overuse of medication.”
The family members
further noted that they believed
Petty’s death to be
“an unfortunate accident.”
“As a family we recognize
this report may spark
a further discussion on the
Visit us online at MalibuSurfsideNews.com
opioid crisis and we feel that
it is a healthy and necessary
discussion and we hope in
some way this report can
save lives,” the statement
continues. “Many people
who overdose begin with a
legitimate injury or simply
do not understand the potency
and deadly nature of
these medications.
“On a positive note we
now know for certain he
went painlessly and beautifully
exhausted after doing
what he loved the most, for
one last time, performing
live with his unmatchable
rock band for his loyal fans
on the biggest tour of his
40-plus year career. He was
extremely proud of that
achievement in the days
before he passed.”
Moon
From Page 3
U.S., the viewing will be
best in the West,” Johnston
stated on the NASA lunar
blog. “Set your alarm
early and go out and take
a look.”
Malibu residents were in
luck, with a chance to view
the entire eclipse before
sunrise. However, to catch
this phenomenon, Malibu
skywatchers had to rise
early. The total eclipse was
to begin at 4:51 a.m. and
end at 6:07 a.m., just before
moonset and sunrise.
Malibuites who missed
this total eclipse will only
have to wait a year for another
shot at viewing the
lunar phenomenon. The
next total lunar eclipse visible
from Malibu will occur
on Jan. 21, 2019. Johnston
said the 2019 lunar eclipse
will be visible throughout
all of the U.S. and will be a
supermoon, though it won’t
be a blue moon. The next
total lunar eclipse to coincide
with a blue moon isn’t
expected to happen until
Dec. 31, 2028.
There won’t be a full
moon in February this year,
but March will bring two:
March 1 and March 31,
giving everyone a second
chance this year to experience
something that can
only happen “once in a blue
moon.”
To learn more about lunar
phenomenons, visit
moon.nasa.gov. For more
information on the recent
“supermoon trilogy,”
watch NASA’s
ScienceCast supermoon
video at www.youtube.com/
watch?v=tARtQkWdZSM.