Flying beach umbrella impales tourist, sending her to Alabama hospital, town reports
A beach umbrella flying in the wind impaled a tourist’s leg, putting her in an Alabama hospital, officials say.
It happened around 9 a.m. Monday, Aug. 28, along Perdido Beach Boulevard, the City of Orange Beach Fire Department said in a news release. Orange Beach is along the Gulf of Mexico, about 26 miles southwest of Pensacola, Florida.
“Crews were advised that a female beachgoer was impaled through the lower leg by a beach umbrella that became dislodged by a strong gust of wind,” officials said.
“Upon arrival, crews stabilized the victim and had to cut the umbrella shaft on each side of the leg for transport. The victim was transported by helicopter in stable condition.”
The identity of the victim was not released. Station WALA reports she was a senior standing near the Phoenix II Condominiums when a “rental umbrella” went flying down the beach.
A similar beach mishap occurred in August 2022, when a 63-year-old woman visiting Horry County, South Carolina, was struck by a flying rental umbrella, according to McClatchy News. Tammy Perreault died at a hospital “as the result of chest trauma.”
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