A teenage lifeguard has been hospitalized after getting impaled by an umbrella at a seashore in New Jersey earlier this week.
In response to WABC, Alex, who didn’t need her final identify to be publicly identified, required surgical procedure after the one-inch-thick rod of the umbrella pierced by way of her armpit and exited her again on Wednesday (June 25), lacking her artery by a mere centimeter. She additionally acquired a “few stitches.”
“I used to be very fortunate the place it hit me as a result of it missed each main blood vessel and it simply went by way of my muscle groups,” she stated. “So there wasn’t any critical injury. It may’ve been a lot worse, really.”
Alex stated she was making an attempt to lock the seashore umbrella to her chair when a gust of wind set off the weird collection of occasions.
“So we now have umbrellas on stands for decent days and we normally have ropes tied to every of them so you may tie them to the stands,” she stated. “However the rope was frayed, and it was a bit too quick to tie, and a gust of wind got here. It wasn’t notably sturdy, however the wind got here and picked the umbrella up and I attempted to catch it because it was going off the stand, however it pulled me off of it with it and I landed on the pole.”
Alex recalled paramedics offering her with one thing to alleviate the ache earlier than firefighters reduce off the ends of the pole to ensure that her to be transported to the hospital.
“I used to be sort of a bit freaked out at first and my mind bought heavy as a result of I used to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have been impaled,'” she stated. “However then assist got here and one in all my coworkers let me lean in opposition to her. And I requested them to place a towel on my head as a result of it was brilliant and scorching.”
In response to Asbury Park Fire Department Battalion Chief Christopher Barkalow, Alex by no means misplaced consciousness all through the ordeal, and solely complained concerning the warmth. “She really was means higher than most individuals can be, she did very properly, she simply actually complained concerning the warmth so I’ll give her credit score, she was powerful,” Barkalow stated.
Alex simply completed her freshman yr on the College of Wisconsin when she returned to lifeguard for a second yr. Whereas she plans on returning to the seashore to see her fellow lifeguards, it is going to be some time earlier than she will return to lifeguarding.
“I used to be bummed after I came upon I needed to take six weeks off,” she stated.
