A beach outing turned harrowing on Wednesday morning when a lifeguard at Asbury Park’s 3rd Avenue Beach was impaled by a beach umbrella, in an incident that emergency responders likened to something “straight out of a horror movie.”
According to Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy, first responders were dispatched to the New Jersey shore following reports that a young woman had been trapped by a windblown umbrella.
When help arrived, fellow lifeguards had already found the woman—one of their own—on the ground near the lifeguard stand with the metal stake of the umbrella piercing her left shoulder and protruding nearly a foot from the back of her arm.
Emergency crews worked quickly, cutting the umbrella’s stake down to facilitate safe transport. Despite the alarming nature of her injury, the lifeguard was conscious and alert throughout the ordeal, Keddy confirmed.
“I will say tough is a good word to use to describe her,” Keddy told Fox News Digital. While the exact severity of her injuries remains unclear, officials said she appeared to be doing well as she was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
It’s still unknown how the umbrella became a projectile, but Keddy used the opportunity to issue a safety reminder: make sure beach umbrellas are securely anchored in the sand. “They can become dangerous weapons when the wind picks up,” he noted.
The incident adds to a growing list of injuries caused by airborne umbrellas. A 2024 report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) warned that such occurrences have become “too common” in recent years. The agency stated that umbrellas lifted by strong wind gusts have caused serious injuries and even fatalities.
In response, the CPSC urged beachgoers to anchor umbrellas properly, avoid using them during windy conditions, and always be alert to changing weather patterns. “Even a light breeze can turn a loose umbrella into a hazard,” the commission emphasized.
