In Ocean City, New Signs Warn of Dangers of Windblown Umbrellas

Ocean City vacationers George and Linda Groves were relaxing on the 34th Street beach last week when they saw an umbrella get airborne and blow toward the dunes.

“Fortunately, someone grabbed it before it hit anyone,” Linda Groves said in an interview.

The Groves, who live in Bensalem, Pa., use special anchors to keep their beach umbrellas firmly planted in the sand when they visit Ocean City.

But the incident at 34th Street shows that not all beachgoers take the same precautions as the Groves to prevent their umbrellas from flying away.

Hoping to prevent any accidents, Ocean City recently installed signs at four beach entrances to warn the public of the dangers of windblown umbrellas.

The signs are located near the lifeguard headquarters at First Street, 12th Street, 34th Street and 58th Street.

They depict a beachgoer being impaled by a windblown umbrella and ominously warn, “You can be killed too!” The signs offer tips for properly anchoring umbrellas in the sand.

    From left, George and Linda Groves, their daughter-in-law, Nicole Groves, and her husband, Jim, relax under their beach umbrellas at 34th Street. They use special anchors to keep their umbrellas firmly planted in the sand.
  

City spokesman Doug Bergen said he is not aware of any significant injuries in Ocean City caused by umbrellas.

“But public safety will always be a top priority for the city,” Bergen said while emphasizing the importance of the new warning signs.

Peter Estephan, a vacationer from Scranton, Pa., read the warning sign while he and his family were enjoying the beach at 34th Street.

“You can’t be reckless with your beach umbrella or your tent. You have to be careful with your kids and the family-friendly beach environment here,” Estephan said.

Estephan said he thought the sign was helpful in warning of the dangers of windblown umbrellas. He was spending his first vacation in Ocean City, joined by his wife, Amanda, their 3 year-old son, Joseph, and newborn daughter, Gemma.

Amanda Estephan said she became aware of the dangers of beach umbrellas after hearing about a Jersey Shore lifeguard who had been seriously injured by one.

In June, an 18-year-old lifeguard in Asbury Park was impaled by a large beach umbrella, barely missing an artery. She was blown off her lifeguard stand while she was setting up the umbrella and was impaled by its metal pole. After spending time in the hospital, she has returned to lifeguarding.

    Umbrellas and cabanas are a common sight on Ocean City's beaches.
  

Ocean City decided to install the warning signs after a safety advocate, Ed Quigley, appeared before City Council in March to talk about his near-fatal accident involving a windblown beach umbrella.

Quigley was seriously injured in 2015 after a flying umbrella impaled his left eye and penetrated his brain cavity while he was vacationing with his family in Bethany Beach, Delaware.

Quigley uses his own tragic experience to raise awareness of the dangers of windblown beach umbrellas while speaking in different shore communities.

After his accident in Delaware, Quigley was invited to be part of a task force of the American Society for Testing and Materials that worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to develop more rigorous safety standards for anchoring beach umbrellas in the sand.

Quigley told Ocean City officials in March that beachgoers have died from being struck or impaled by airborne umbrellas. Each year, thousands more are injured, he said.

He wanted to give the public more information about beach umbrella safety, so he created the website https://www.beachumbrellasafety.org/.

    The Estephan family says the warning sign at 34th Street has made them aware of the dangers of windblown umbrellas.