Toddler’s drowning leads mother to mission of water-safety advocacy
Connie Ercol of Shamong, an advocate for water safety, lost her toddler daughter in a 1992 drowning
- Full recovery expected for lifeguard following surgery.
A 19-year-old lifeguard, whose identity has not been released, is expected to make a full recovery after undergoing surgery to remove a pole from her arm following a freak accident when she was impaled by her windswept umbrella.
The Asbury Park Fire Department and EMTs responded to the accident the morning of Wednesday June 25.
The Asbury Park lifeguard was impaled by her umbrella when a wind gust took hold of her umbrella while she was setting it up and the stake pierced her arm, a fellow lifeguard said.
A firefighter and EMT went to the beach to treat her, cutting the umbrella stake on both sides to make transportation more manageable, Asbury Park Fire Chief Kevin Keddy said.
She has been released from the hospital
Barnegat Light swimmer possibly stabbed by needlefish
At Barnegat Light June 21, an adult male swimmer was taken to the hospital for a leg injury that occurred while in the water, according to the Long Beach Township Police Department.
A spokesperson for the police department described the injury as minor and did not further elaborate on the injury, stating that the cause was “unknown.”
“Beach Patrol personnel transported the individual to the area of 19th Street, where they met with responding Long Beach Township Police officers and members of Barnegat Light First Aid. The male was subsequently transported to Southern Ocean Medical Center for evaluation and treatment of his injuries,” Lt. Patrick Mazzella said.
Barnegat Light Beach Patrol Sgt. Hugh Shields, who is also a 2nd Lt. of the first aid squad, described the injury as a puncture hole wound in the calf. Shields said it appeared as if the victim’s calf was stabbed by a needlefish or a houndfish, two species common to New Jersey waters during the summer.
Both needlefish and houndfish can be found in shallow marine habitats, have slender elongated bodies, a narrow beak and rows of sharp teeth. The species are known for quick bursts of speed and leaping out of the water.
Encounters are rare, but on more than one occasion a houndfish has leapt out of the water and injured a person.
In 2010, in the Florida Keys, a kayaker’s lung was punctured by a houndfish that jumped out of the water. In 1999, a fishermen in Malaysia was killed after being speared by a houndfish.
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