A young lifeguard suffered a horrific accident when she was impaled by a beach umbrella pole. (Image: Getty)
An 18-year-old lifeguard became the victim of a terrible accident involving a six-foot beach umbrella last Wednesday (June 25) while working at a popular beach. The accident occurred at 9:30am at Asbury Park beach, New Jersey.
A witness told ABC7: "When she was placing the umbrella, a gust of wind lifted it, causing her to lose balance. It was something improbable". Paramedics were forced to use a portable saw to cut the metal rod that had pierced through the young woman's back, named only as Alex. The one-inch-thick rod went in through her armpit and came out of her back. The pole missed an artery by just a centimetre, according to reports.
The pole missed an artery by just a centimetre, according to reports. (Image: Getty)
The victim was finally carefully immobilised, placed on a stretcher, and transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital.
According to the report issued by local authorities, the young woman was "conscious, lucid and positive given the circumstances," demonstrating a remarkable state of mind despite the trauma she had suffered. The health professionals attending to her have confirmed that her condition is stable, so, for now, it does not pose major concerns for her doctors.
However, she will remain under observation to rule out possible complications that might arise over time.
Alex urged people to make sure they tie down their umbrellas when visiting the beach. (Image: Getty)
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Speaking to ABC7, Alex said: " I was very lucky where it hit me because it missed every major blood vessel and it just went through my muscles. So there wasn't any serious damage. It could've been so much worse, actually."
She said she will return to lifeguarding after she recovers and plans to visit the beach to see her fellow lifeguards soon: "I was bummed when I found out I had to take six weeks off," she said, before urging people to make sure they tie down their umbrellas.
This horrific accident comes as the latest in a string of accidents at beaches as the summer season gets underway in earnest. A total of six people have been arrested after a huge brawl broke out on Bournemouth Beach, injuring a teenage girl and two police officers. Emergency services were called to the popular UK seafront shortly before 7.30pm. Further afield, a teenage boy was airlifted to the hospital with serious arm injuries after a shark attack at Cabarita Beach, near Byron Bay, in Australia. The teenager suffered injuries to his arms and hands.
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English (US) · 