Lifeguard Impaled By Umbrella At Jersey Shore Beach Returns To Work, Report Says

ASBURY PARK, NJ — Following a June accident where an Asbury Park lifeguard was impaled by a beach umbrella, lifeguard Alex Kaus has officially returned to work, according to a report by the Asbury Park Press.

Kaus, 18, was sitting atop her lifeguard chair in late June when a gust of wind knocked her down and led to her falling on top of an umbrella pole, where the stake of the umbrella went through her upper left shoulder and came out of her back.

Once first responders arrived at the scene, they had to use a saw to cut the umbrella down at both ends so she could be taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment.

Just a day after undergoing surgery, she was released from the hospital, and last Friday, she returned to work in a limited role where she checks beach badges at the entrance until doctors clear her for full lifeguard duty, according to the report.

“I was so bored I wanted to come back, I wanted to come back the day after it happened,” Kaus told the Asbury Park Press. “I'm not afraid. I really like this job. I really like the water. I like swimming. I just like the people.”

The accident where Kaus' shoulder was impaled occurred at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 25.

Following three days of an intense heat wave, Kaus was setting up for the day on her lifeguard chair when a gust of wind knocked her and her lifeguard umbrella to the ground, with Kaus landing atop the umbrella.

According to Joe Bongiovanni (who runs the lifeguard and surf patrol program for Asbury Park), the umbrella pierced Kaus’ lateral muscle but never touched the bone in the accident, which he described as both “lucky and unlucky.”

“If she had landed one inch to the right, the umbrella wouldn't have touched her at all. Two inches to the left, it would have gone through her body,” Bongiovanni said. “She is petite. She's not even five feet tall on a good day, and I'd say she's 90 pounds."

Though Kaus experienced such a traumatic injury, Bongiovanni said she was “in great spirits” when he visited her in the hospital following her surgery.

He added that she was sitting up in bed, talking and laughing with friends and family during his visit, and described her as “a remarkable young woman” to Patch.

“The doctors told her six to eight weeks of recovery, and she immediately goes 'Oh good, I can come back to work this summer then,'” Bongiovanni said. “She would come back to work tomorrow if she could. She is one tough cookie."

To read the full report from the Asbury Park Press, you can click here.

Previous Coverage

• Lifeguard Impaled By Umbrella At Jersey Shore Beach
• Latest Status Of Jersey Shore Lifeguard Who Was Impaled By Umbrella