ASBURY PARK, New Jersey — A lifeguard, who experienced a bizarre accident this week involving a beach umbrella, feels incredibly fortunate and is determined to return to the beach once she has fully healed.
The 18-year-old victim Alex, who did not want her last name to be used, said the pole missed her artery by just a centimeter.
Since the incident on Wednesday morning in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Alex has had surgery and received a few stitches.
Alex explained she was trying to tie down a beach umbrella when the accident happened.
“On hot days, we use umbrellas set on stands, typically secured with ropes,” she explained. “However, one rope was worn out and too short to secure the umbrella properly. A gust of wind, not very strong, came by and lifted the umbrella. As I attempted to grab it before it flew off the stand, I was pulled along with it and fell onto the pole.”
She mentioned that paramedics arrived, administered pain relief, and then firefighters sawed off the ends of the pole to safely transport her to the hospital.
Despite the scare, Alex said she thinks she does well in stressful or chaotic situations.
“I was kind of a little freaked out at first and my brain got heavy because I was like, ‘oh my gosh, I’ve been impaled,'” Alex said. “But then help came and one of my coworkers let me lean against her. And I asked them to put a towel on my head because it was bright and hot.”
Alex knows how lucky she is that her injuries aren’t worse.
“I was very lucky where it hit me because it missed every major blood vessel and it just went through my muscles,” She said. “So there wasn’t any serious damage. It could’ve been so much worse, actually.”
She says 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,” Alex said.
This is Alex’s second year as a lifeguard and she just finished her freshman year at University of Wisconsin.
In the wake of her accident, she also wants to remind people to make sure they tie down their umbrellas.
Toni Yates reports from Asbury Park.
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