The 18-year-old Jersey Shore lifeguard who was impaled in the arm by a beach umbrella was pushed onto it by a gust of wind and was lucky that the stake didn’t pierce her just inches to the left because it would have gone through her body, her boss said.
The college student, identified by ABC New York as Alex, was standing on top of the lifeguard stand setting up the umbrella Wednesday morning when a strong breeze knocked her and the umbrella down, Joe Bongiovanni, the head of Asbury Park’s beach operations told Patch.
“Two inches to the left, it would have gone through her body,” Bongiovanni said. “She is petite. She’s not even five feet tall on a good day and I’d say she’s 90 pounds.”
A picture obtained by ABC showed the brave teen smiling in her hospital bed and holding up a piece of the stake that penetrated her arm.
The 18-year-old was inches away from a catastrophic injury, her boss said. WABCtv
A lifeguard was impaled by a beach umbrella in Asbury Park on Wednesday morning. WABC
When the teen fell, the stake pierced her left arm below the tricep, and came out through her back and shoulder area sticking out about a foot. While painful and gruesome, the injury could have been far worse.
“It did pierce her lateral muscle, but it never touched the bone,” Bongiovanni said.
“She’s lucky and she’s unlucky at the same time. If she had landed one inch to the right, the umbrella wouldn’t have touched her at all,” he added.
First responders had to remove the 6-foot pole with a bandsaw so she could be taken to the hospital, where Bongiovanni visited her Wednesday night.
A close-up shot of first responders after a lifeguard was impaled by a beach umbrella. WABCThe second-year lifeguard immediately underwent surgery after arriving at the hospital but was due to be released Thursday.
She was “in great spirits” hanging out with friends and family while resting in her bed, Bongiovanni said.
“The doctors told her six to eight weeks of recovery, and she immediately goes ‘Oh good, I can come back to work this summer then.’ She would come back to work tomorrow if she could,” he said. “She is one tough cookie.”
A lifeguard station on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Getty ImagesHe said it was an “intense day” for his team, with many fellow lifeguards left shaken up after seeing their coworker experience such a traumatic injury.
The teen’s name has not been released. Bongiovanni said she is from Robbinsville, near Trenton, and lifeguarding in Asbury Park has been her summer job for the past two seasons while she attends the University of Wisconsin.
Bongiovanni said he expects her back up on the stand when she recovers.
