OCEAN CITY — Ocean City late last week filed a motion to dismiss a civil suit filed in federal court in early June impaled in the chest by a flying umbrella on the beach in July 2018.
In July 2018, Pennsylvania resident Jill Mendygral was impaled in the chest by a rented beach umbrella that had become dislodged from the sand and thrown through the air by a wind gust. In June, Mendygral, through her attorneys, filed a civil suit in U.S. District Court alleging negligence against the two named defendants, the town of Ocean City and the beach equipment rental company 85 N Sunny, LLC. The suit seeks damages in excess of $75,000 against each of the named defendants.
Around 3:10 p.m. on July 22, 2018, Ocean City first-responders were dispatched to the beach at 54th Street after a gust of wind dislodged an unattended rental umbrella and sent it tumbling down the beach where it impaled Mendygral. The point of the wood-shaft umbrella hit the victim, who was sitting in a beach chair, and pierced her skin in the upper left chest below the collarbone. Ocean City Beach Patrol Surf Rescue Technicians (SRTs) quickly responded and, with the help of bystanders, secured the blowing umbrella while the first SRT on the scene began rendering aid and keeping the victim calm.
Ocean City Fire Department and EMS personnel arrived quickly and took over first-aid measures. Ocean City Fire Department personnel cut the umbrella’s wooden pole to facilitate taking the victim from the beach to awaiting paramedics. The victim was transported from the beach by Ocean City EMS and was transported to a designated medevac pad at 32nd Street via ambulance.
She was transferred to the Maryland State Police medevac helicopter and taken to now-TidalHealth Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, where she underwent emergency surgery. The suit filed last week outlines the timeline of the incident and the injuries and suffering Mendygral allegedly did and continues to endure.
Motion to dismiss DENIED. Should have settled Rickie. Guy would have.
Nov 2022!
Frivolous at best….maybe she should sue the wind
Those Clowns at Ocean $hitty Far Deeparmint always flies their patients to PRMC via the helicopter. It’s actually quicker for them to transport by land but no one ever talks about that.
Those Clowns at the Ocean $hitty Far Deeparmint have flown patients so many times that the State Police Helicopter was stationed at the Ocean City Airport in West OC. How lame is that and how unfair is it to people who really need the Helicopter when it’s not at the Wicomico County Airport.
That fire department is fake at best. Look at that clown that they hired as the fire chief. A failure at everything except kissing Arse!
He isn’t qualified to poor piss out of a boot!
Well these umbrella stands get a permit from Ocean City so the town is liable when one of their agents fails to put the umbrella in the ground properly!
Lying on the beach and getting impaled by a runaway umbrella has always been my biggest nightmare.
I had beach stands in OC for many years. You always remove an umbrella from the beach as soon as it is unoccuped. If it is windy do not put up the umbrella or do a windbreak.