Car Victim Had AIDS, Rescuers Learn

Four firefighters came into contact with an AIDS victim Sunday when they tried to revive the man whose car had plunged down a cliff in Topanga Canyon, authorities said Monday.

The rescuers also learned that the victim, who died at the scene, had hepatitis B, another contagious disease.

The victim was identified Monday as a 33-year-old Hollywood man; his name was withheld pending notification of relatives. The coroner’s office said the death was accidental. But police said they are investigating the possibility that the man was trying to kill himself.

Medical experts said the rescuers have little risk of contracting the incurable and often fatal disease. They said research indicates that AIDS is only transmitted by a significant exchange of bodily fluids and that normal mouth-to-mouth resuscitation would not bring such an exchange.

Officials said it was the first known incident in which county personnel have treated an AIDS victim with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. When rescuers suspect a communicable disease, they routinely use mechanical respirators or masks, officials said.

County fire spokesman Gordon Pearson said the incident probably will prompt the department to reassess its handling of possible AIDS patients. But he said that firefighters would have to continue to administer every life-saving procedure in extreme emergencies where no information about a victim is available. “The options are limited” in an emergency, he said.