Ocean City Officials Urged to Place ‘Beach Umbrella Warning’ Signs at Beach Entrances
Ed Quigley, a survivor of a serious beach umbrella accident, is using a tragic experience to raise awareness about the dangers of windblown beach umbrellas.
In 2015, Quigley was seriously injured after a windblown umbrella impaled his left eye and penetrated his brain cavity while vacationing with his family in Bethany Beach, Delaware. On Thursday, March 13, Quigley appeared at an Ocean City council meeting to urge officials to place “Beach Umbrella Warning” signs at the entrances to the beach.
According to Ocean City spokesperson Doug Bergen, the city doesn’t have umbrella warning signs on its beaches but said it would be something the city would consider implementing to enhance public safety.
While Ocean City has an ordinance limiting the size of beach canopies and umbrellas, it doesn’t have an ordinance governing their placement.
At the council meeting, Quigley said that the previous guidance on setting up beach umbrellas from the Consumer Product Safety Commission has proven to be ineffective. This guidance previously directed, “Take your beach umbrella, stab it into the sand, rock it back and forth, and tilt it into the wind,” Quigley explained in comments shared by OCNJDaily. He added that thousands of people are injured from windblown beach umbrellas each year.
To raise public awareness about beach umbrella safety, Quigley created a website that offers essential safety tips:
- Always use an umbrella with an ASTM-F3681-compliant anchor.
- Secure the umbrella and the anchor using the manufacturer’s setup instructions.
- Be aware of sudden wind gusts. Immediately close the umbrella’s canopy if the umbrella becomes unstable in the wind.
