National

Beach umbrella impales woman in chest at Maryland beach, official says

SALISBURY, Md. — A woman was injured on a Maryland beach Sunday afternoon when an unattended umbrella pierced her chest, according to beach patrol.

Ocean City Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin said they received a call that the wooden pole of an unattended rental umbrella pierced the skin of the upper left chest of a 46-year-old Pennsylvania woman on Ocean City Beach.

Lifeguards and others on the beach secured the umbrella so it would not continue blowing around until firefighters arrived to cut the pole, Arbin said.

The woman was taken by helicopter to a medical center to be treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, Arbin said.

The woman's name was not released.

Last week, a woman was impaled by a beach umbrella on the New Jersey shore. Authorities said part of the umbrella pierced the woman's ankle after being driven along by the force of the wind.

Contributing: The Associated Press. Follow Rose Velazquez on Twitter: @Rosee_Vee