MANASQUAN, N.J. (AP) - New Jersey's senior U.S. senator and Virginia's Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine want federal officials to take more aggressive action to protect beachgoers from wind-swept beach umbrellas.
Bob Menendez held a news conference Monday in Manasquan to once again call on the Consumer Product Safety Commission to improve its regulations and develop an aggressive campaign to educate beachgoers on the dangers the umbrellas can pose if they're not properly staked in the sand.
But the Democrat stressed that he wasn't calling for a ban on umbrellas.
A letter was written to the CPSC urging the agency to take action.
Megan Eurenius with Sunrise Beach Services said that it’s vital to place an umbrella into te ground properly.
“When putting up your umbrella doing it the right way is going to ensure the safety of both yourself and the people around you,” said Eurenius.
Eurenius explained the steps of inserting an umbrella into the sand.
“You want to kick all the loose sand away and start the process leaning into the wind. Then you have to start rocking it back and forth. And once the umbrella is 18 inches deep, you’re going to stomp the sand down around the hole,” said Eurenius.
A woman was speared in the leg by a beach umbrella last summer in the Jersey Shore community of Seaside Heights. Another woman was killed by a flying umbrella in Virginia Beach in 2016, and an umbrella nearly impaled toddler last month in South Carolina.
Tourist Marshall Tsakiris said that he bought a special tent that’s weighed down after he saw dozens of umbrellas fly away.
“They were flying everywhere because of the windy day. We were out of the line of fire basically- but a lot of people were running for cover,” said Tsakiris.
CPSC statistics show that more than 31,000 people were treated at hospitals for umbrella-related injuries from 2008-2017.
“As Americans flock to the beach this summer season, we believe it is imperative that the CPSC ensure that a day at the beach isn’t turned into a day at the emergency room,” the Senators wrote.