By Dan Johnson, Argus-Courier

A 2010 graduate of Petaluma High School broke his neck while diving at South Lake Tahoe on Tuesday, and is paralyzed from the chest down.

Danny Cox, the son of Graffiti restaurant owner Maureen McGowan, was on vacation at a beach, playing with some friends, when he did a flat dive into the water at around 4pm.

“A friend pulled him out within a minute, and three doctors who happened to be at the beach helped out,” said McGowan, who rushed to the area after she was notified at 4:15pm.

Cox, 18, was airlifted to Renown Hospital in Reno, Nev., where he immediately underwent surgery to remove a broken vertebrae. He also suffered damage to his spinal cord.

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