The woman, said to be about 19 or 20 years old, is currently in stable condition.
WASHINGTON — A lifeguard in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is recovering after she was impaled by a flying beach umbrella during a freak accident on Wednesday morning.
The incident happened when strong wind blew the umbrella off the lifeguard stand. As the woman reached to grab it, the pole struck her with force.
“It was just a freak thing, as she was putting it in, the gust caught it, pulled it up, so when she grabbed it she was off-balance, she was on the top step of the bench, so she fell backwards off the bench and the umbrella came with her when she came down and landed on her arm,” lifeguard Joe Bongiovanni told ABC 7 New York.
The umbrella’s stake pierced through the front of her left shoulder and extended out the back of her arm by about a foot, Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy told ABC News.
Fellow lifeguards immediately rushed to her aid and began treatment before emergency responders arrived. Fire department officials stabilized her and cut down on the metal stake in both the front and back to make moving her safer and reduce any further injury.
The lifeguard was transported to a nearby hospital. Despite the serious nature of the injury, she remained conscious and alert the entire time.
“She’s a tough young woman,” Keddy told ABC News.
The lifeguard, said to be about 19 or 20 years old, is currently in stable condition.
“She actually was way better than most people would be, she did very well, she just really complained about the heat so I will give her credit, she was tough,” Fire Department Battalion Chief Christopher Barkalow told ABC 7 New York.
Following the incident, authorities are reminding people to take extra caution when using beach umbrellas, making sure they are properly secured in the sand and carried with the pointed end facing down.