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York County makes changes after woman gashes foot at Yorktown Beach

Divers found a large oyster bed on sharp rocks next to the pier and zoned off the area after a woman recently split her foot open at Yorktown Beach.

YORKTOWN, Va. (WVEC) — No matter how many times she tries, Danielle Skiba has a tough time keeping her 3 children away from the rocks at Yorktown Beach.

“Stay away from the rocks, I think I’ve said that 45 times today,” Skiba said. “You have a choice - you can go by the rocks and then end up on the towel, or you can play in the rest of the area away from the rocks.”

Skiba is more cautious now after hearing about a woman who recently split her foot open at Yorktown Beach. The woman posted pictures on the Yorktown 411 Facebook page, saying she needed surgery to fix her foot.

Joel Acree, assistant chief for York County Fire and Life Safety, says he saw the pictures and it looked worse than a normal cut from the rocks. So, a few divers checked the area out and found a large oyster bed right next to the pier.

The county then placed new signs around the area that read: “Caution! Please be aware of underwater rocks and sharp oyster shells.” The county also zoned off a few areas to prevent swimmers from getting hurt.

“We have a history of people being injured on the rocks here in Yorktown,” Acree said. “It’s not uncommon, unfortunately, but these injuries on the [Facebook] post are pretty dramatic.”

After hearing about the accident, tourist Daniela Gately started wondering what she’d do if her children were cut.

“That just makes me think: Is there a first aid station here? That’s something I should’ve looked into beforehand because kids do get hurt,” Gately said.

On Wednesday, Skiba’s young son Derek reluctantly agreed to follow his mom’s advice and stay away from the rocks.

“I’ve gotten scrapes before and they’re no fun,” he said.

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