Latest news with #Keddy
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Asbury Park beach lifeguard impaled by a six-foot-long umbrella in ‘freak' wind accident
A female lifeguard was impaled by a beach umbrella at the Jersey Shore this week, which became a dangerous projectile due to wind gusts. (Image for representation) A female lifeguard was hospitalized after being impaled by a beach umbrella at Asbury Park. (Unsplash) The young woman was struck by a roughly six-foot-long umbrella that pierced through her body, entering beneath her left shoulder and exiting through her back around 9:30 AM on Wednesday at Asbury Park's 3rd Avenue Beach. 'The umbrella went underneath her left shoulder and out the back,' said Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy in a statement to The New York Post. 'It was protruding by about a foot,' he added. ALSO READ| Morning Midas cargo ship: EVs behind fire sinking of 3000 vehicles off Alaska - Here's latest Probe how beach umbrella became almost fatal Emergency responders, including fellow lifeguards and EMS personnel, rushed to the scene after a call came in. 'We had to saw off the stake from the front and the back to make it more manageable. We bandaged her up and transported her to the hospital,' Keddy said. The victim, conscious throughout the ordeal, was taken to the Jersey Shore University Medical Centre in Neptune. 'When we dropped her off, she was conscious and alert and in good spirits — all things considered,' Keddy added. There is still no accurate way of knowing how the accident happened. One reason that has been put forward is that the woman might have been attempting to get or pick up an umbrella that had been snagged by a strong wind blast when she fell on the stake. ALSO READ| James Webb Space Telescope spots its 1st alien planet: 'TWA 7b' Umbrellas turning into airborne hazards are not new U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reported that about 3, 000 individuals suffer injuries every year, due to beach umbrellas. Notably, a 63-year-old woman named Tammy Perreault was impaled by a beach umbrella in 2022 in South Carolina. In the same way, 55-year-old Lottie Michelle Belk also died in Virginia Beach in 2016 when a windblown umbrella hit her. ALSO READ| Judge warns Meta for being a 'serious copyright infringer' after dismissing AI training lawsuit CPSC's 2024 report also warns that flying beach umbrellas have become 'too common' in the States and urges beachgoers to take precautions.
Global News
a day ago
- General
- Global News
Lifeguard impaled by umbrella on New Jersey beach
A lifeguard is recovering in hospital after a freak accident, in which she was impaled by a beach umbrella at a New Jersey beach on Wednesday morning, officials said. The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. as the woman was setting up her umbrella for the day. According to authorities, strong winds picked up the umbrella and the stake went through the front of her left shoulder and pierced through the back of her arm. Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy told ABC News that the six-foot-long stake was sticking out of the back of her arm by about one foot. 'She's a tough young woman,' the chief said. Her fellow lifeguards were treating her, when the fire department showed up and took over. Because of the umbrella's length, the responders used a portable band saw to cut the umbrella stake in the front and the back, first, to make her transport by ambulance to the hospital more manageable. Story continues below advertisement 'When we dropped her off, she was conscious and alert and in good spirits — all things considered,' Keddy told the New York Post. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Asbury Park Professional Firefighters Union, whose members helped stabilize the woman for transport, called it a 'low frequency' incident, meaning it's a type of call they don't see very often. 0:54 Teen injured by a flying beach umbrella at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester And while it is rare to be impaled by an umbrella, it does happen. In August of 2022, a woman in South Carolina died after a loose beach umbrella became airborne and impaled her in the chest. The woman was fatally wounded in the accident when a gust of wind pulled the beach umbrella from its anchoring. Story continues below advertisement The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says that 'airborne beach umbrellas can be dangerous, even deadly.' The organization recommends umbrellas to be properly secured to avoid injury. Most beach umbrellas are equipped with a spiked end and anchors designed to push through sand to at least two feet deep (60 cm). The CPSC also recommends beach umbrellas be angled against the direction of any winds, so as not to lift the wide canopy from the ground. The CPSC claimed 31,000 people were treated in hospitals for umbrella-related injuries in the U.S. alone between 2008 and 2017. The injuries ranged in severity, though most victims were women over the age of 40.
