You probably have a better chance of winning the lottery than dying like this. Horrible.
Woman killed by flying umbrella!
- Thread starter deadeyededric
- Start date
- Mar 27, 2006
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Same thing happened in Virginia a few years ago
www.pilotonline.com
5 years after a woman was killed by a flying beach umbrella, Virginia senators still pushing for safety measures
Five years ago, a woman vacationing at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront was killed by a flying beach umbrella. Lottie Michelle Belk, 55, of Chester, was on the beach near 33rd Street with her family in June 2016 when a strong wind gust lifted…
www.pilotonline.com
Feels like you see stories like this every few years. Blows my mind this could happen.
Not that it matters much, but curious -- do most incidents involve the "spear" at top of the umbrella, or is the unit coming loose and the lower "shaft" doing it?
Think it would be top, because if the bottom led, the umbrella would be forced shut and not blow as well.
This sort of thing seems to be more common every year and I know I've seen more down trees. Starting last summer I started being way more vigilant on where I place my tent to camp.
That was my guess (would catch wind "more effectively" that way) but i feel like shaft is sharper it'd be more lethal.
Not even sure why I pondered, but I did.
The long end of a beach umbrella is usually pointed to push into the sand. Not sharp, but enough that it could penetrate with some force. These umbrellas lock open just like a rain umbrella. But they're twice as big or bigger, so a little wind packs a hell of a punch.
The article says it went through her arm and penetrated her rib cage.
Obviously, we need more rules and regulations on beach umbrellas. Probably start with a licensing program so it costs a couple hundred $ to even carry a beach umbrella out into public. Users will need to show certification that they were trained and know how to properly operate a beach umbrella ($50) and carry liability insurance in case of an incident. Also, they will need to implement an umbrella inspection department with annual inspection ($75) to ensure the most dangerous umbrellas are removed from service.
Needs a committee to come up with a committee to oversee the names of different committees including coming up with the acronyms of the names of the committees and processes for all of this.
