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Legal battle swirls around veteran in vegetative state.

Antonio Burnistine cannot breath, eat, speak or move. His three closest family members are fighting for guardianship.

Ricardo Duran – The Press-Enterprise

MORENO VALLEY - On March 24, 1992, Antonio Burnistine, a 31-year-old March Air force Base master sergeant, went to Disneyland with his family.

It may have been their last day of joy. By the end of that Tuesday, Burnistine had suffered a stroke and was unable to move or speak.

Today he is in a hospital bed at the Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda, a quadriplegic unable to communicate with doctors or family.

"He was moved there for his own protection," officials say.

Around him swirled bitter legal battles in which his closest three family members have fought one another for the right to care for the man - and the millions of dollars he may be awarded. Charges of rape, embezzlement, abandonment and abuse are among those filed in courts in Riverside and Los Angeles counties.

On Monday, his mother, father and wife again went to court in Los Angeles County to determine who will be his guardians.

At stake: Antonio’s future and control of money his family hopes to collect from personal injury lawsuits against Disneyland and San Clemente hospital that initially treated him.

Antonio’s father, Burnie Burnistine, has said his son may collect $5 million from Disneyland in an out-of-court settlement. Attorneys for his wife and mother said their clients are close to a separate, nearly half-million dollar settlement with Samaritan Medical Center in San Clemente.

Attorneys for Disneyland and Samaritan did not respond to phone calls yesterday.