In an incident that underscores the vital need for awareness and vigilance, a lifeguard suffered a horrific injury when a beach umbrella impaled him.
The young woman was setting up at Asbury Park’s 3rd Avenue Beach when a powerful gust of wind turned the umbrella into a dangerous projectile.
Despite having a metal stake penetrate through her shoulder and out of her back, the lifeguard remained conscious and alert throughout the harrowing ordeal.
The incident occurred at Asbury Park Beach. The female lifeguard was setting up for the day and installing umbrellas when a sudden gust of wind caught one of them.
As she attempted to secure the umbrella, it turned against her with devastating results.
Beach safety supervisor John Bongiovanni explained, “As she was putting [the umbrella] in, a gust of wind came up and started to pull it up. So as it pulled up, she reached to try to grab it, and when she grabbed it [to] pull it down.”
The umbrella stake, approximately 6 feet long, penetrated under her left shoulder and protruded out of her back by about a foot.
Regardless of the severe injury, the lifeguard remained conscious throughout the ordeal, displaying remarkable composure in a situation that would have caused most people to panic.
First responders had to use a bandsaw to cut the stake into smaller pieces so they could safely transport the victim to the hospital.
The woman was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where she was reported to be in stable condition.
“The umbrella went underneath her left shoulder and out the back,” said Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy. “It was protruding by about a foot.”
Chief Keddy praised the young woman’s resilience, noting, “She’s a tough young woman.”
He added, “When we dropped her off, she was conscious and alert and in good spirits — all things considered.”
This incident highlights a surprisingly common danger that many Americans are unaware of.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), approximately 3,000 injuries from windblown beach umbrellas are reported annually.
Some cases have even proven fatal, including a 63-year-old woman in South Carolina in 2022 and a 55-year-old woman in Virginia Beach in 2016.
“Make sure your umbrellas are secure in the sand and carry them with the point down,” warned Chief Keddy.
The incident serves as a reminder that even familiar beach equipment can become dangerous projectiles in the right conditions.
As Americans flock to beaches this summer, proper umbrella safety measures could prevent thousands of injuries and potentially save lives.
With government safety agencies already burdened with regulating countless products, individual responsibility and awareness remain the best defense against these unexpected dangers.
