VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- Last week, 55-year-old Lottie Michelle Belk, of Chester, Va. died after she was hit by a fly-away beach umbrella.
Emergency crews were called to 33rd Street at the Oceanfront for a woman in cardiac arrest. When they arrived, they found Belk suffering from a life threatening injury. She was taken to the hospital and later died.
Investigators said Belk was on the beach when a strong 20 to 30-mile per hour wind gust blew an anchored beach umbrella across the sand and hit her. Belk’s friend of 15 years, Karen West-Moten, was shocked to learn about Belk's death. She called Belk an exceptional woman.
“Lottie was very sweet. She was a wonderful Christian woman. She loved interacting with the kids at church. She had a wonderful spirit. She would do anything for you. She just loved life and loved people,” said West-Moten.
It's freak accidents like what happened to Belk that Bill Schermerhorn of beachBUB is trying to prevent. For years, he’s been educating people about the dangers of fly-away umbrellas. Something he and his wife witnessed firsthand.
“My wife and I witnessed a beach umbrella that had a metal screw on the bottom. It went flying down the beach and hit a little child. The child had to be carried off to the hospital,” said Schermerhorn.
Schermerhorn created the beachBUB, or beach umbrella base. It’s a product that secures umbrellas in the sand so that they hold up under windy conditions. Schermerhorn took 13news Now out to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront to demonstrate the product.
"It only takes minutes to put up and even less time to take down. There is no hole to dig or screw apparatus used. It weighs about a pound for easy carrying. Once filled, the base weighs 120 pounds. It has been tested with an 11.5-foot umbrella in a 42-mile per hour wind with no signs of failing,” said Schermerhorn.
He said the beachBUB is about more than helping people having fun in the sun, it’s about keeping them safe while they do so.
“Our focus here is primarily to bring public safety or beach awareness safety to the public,” said Schermerhorn.