British woman impaled by beach umbrella due to 'force of wind' in New Jersey

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A British woman has suffered serious injuries after being impaled by a parasol on a US beach.

Margaret Reynolds was at Seaside Heights in New Jersey when a “force of wind” caused part of a beach umbrella to drive through her right ankle, according to local media.

The umbrella reportedly flew from another part of the beach and did not belong to Ms Reynolds.

Tommy Boyd, a local police chief, said fire crews had to sever the umbrella with a bolt cutter before putting her in an ambulance.

The 67-year-old was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Centre around 4.30pm local time on Monday.

One eyewitness described the freak accident on social media.

“This lady had an umbrella go through her leg five feet away from me!” Instagram user Ricky Z wrote.

“There was a strong gust of wind, there were a couple umbrellas flying. One of the corners of a random one went THROUGH HER LEG! That could have been me!”

Other beachgoers on the scene were heard discussing the incident in a video posted to the same account.

“The lifeguard should have been the one to tell people to take their umbrellas down, it’s too windy,” one man was heard saying, adding: “You’re not putting it two feet into gravel, it’s sand – what the hell is holding it down.”

The Independent contacted a hospital spokesperson who confirmed Ms Reynolds was still an inpatient, but was unable to give an update on her condition.