British woman impaled by beach umbrella due to 'force of wind' in New Jersey
Pensioner injured after gust caused flying parasol to plunge through her ankle
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British woman has suffered serious injuries after being impaled by a parasol on a US beach.
Margaret Reynolds was at Seaside Heights in New Jersey when a “force of wind” caused part of a beach umbrella to drive through her right ankle, according to local media.
The umbrella reportedly flew from another part of the beach and did not belong to Ms Reynolds.
Tommy Boyd, a local police chief, said fire crews had to sever the umbrella with a bolt cutter before putting her in an ambulance.
The 67-year-old was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Centre around 4.30pm local time on Monday.
One eyewitness described the freak accident on social media.
“This lady had an umbrella go through her leg five feet away from me!” Instagram user Ricky Z wrote.
“There was a strong gust of wind, there were a couple umbrellas flying. One of the corners of a random one went THROUGH HER LEG! That could have been me!”
Other beachgoers on the scene were heard discussing the incident in a video posted to the same account.
“The lifeguard should have been the one to tell people to take their umbrellas down, it’s too windy,” one man was heard saying, adding: “You’re not putting it two feet into gravel, it’s sand – what the hell is holding it down.”
The Independent contacted a hospital spokesperson who confirmed Ms Reynolds was still an inpatient, but was unable to give an update on her condition.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments