A 19-year-old lifeguard from New Jersey was hospitalized after she was impaled by her own beach umbrella. NBC News' Julie Tsirkin has more on the incident and talks to Safety Advocate Ed Quigley about how to make beach umbrellas more safe.

ASBURY PARK, New Jersey -- The lifeguard who was impaled by a beach umbrella in a freak accident this week said she knows how lucky she is and she is vowing to return to the beach once she makes a full recovery. The 18-year-old victim Alex, who did not want her last name to be used, said the pole missed her artery by just a centimeter.

A lifeguard was impaled by a beach umbrella Wednesday morning at Asbury Park Beach in New Jersey. According to chief of the Asbury Park Fire Department, the 6-foot long umbrella went into the young woman’s left shoulder and came out through her back.