Woman Impaled by Beach Umbrella at Jersey Shore

A female lifeguard at the Jersey Shore was seriously injured when she was pierced by a beach umbrella, which had to be cut apart with a saw before she could be transported to a hospital.

The incident occurred around 9:30 a.m. at Asbury Park’s 3rd Avenue Beach, when lifeguards and emergency services responded to reports of a young woman who had been impaled by a roughly 6-foot-long umbrella.

According to fire officials, the umbrella went beneath her left shoulder and extended out her back. It was protruding about a foot from her body. Authorities suspect she may have fallen onto the stake while chasing a gust of wind-blown umbrella.

Rescuers had to use a saw to cut the stake from both ends to fit her into an ambulance. She was conscious and alert during the rescue, and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. She was reported to be in good spirits upon arrival, despite her injuries.

Beach umbrellas can pose a significant danger when caught by the wind, as their sharp, pointed ends can become lethal. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates approximately 3,000 injuries related to beach umbrellas occur annually.

Sadly, there have been fatalities linked to such accidents, including a 63-year-old woman in South Carolina who was killed in 2022 when a beach umbrella broke loose from its anchor and impaled her. In 2016, another woman was fatally injured by a windblown umbrella in Virginia Beach.