Christian Legath is trained to respond to almost any emergency that happens on the beaches of Ocean City, Maryland.

But for the 22-year-old Marian Catholic High School graduate, a freak accident that severely injured a Kingston woman while on vacation at the popular tourist destination was something that put his lifeguard training to the test.

July 22 was like any other day on the 54th Street beach at Ocean City for the five-year Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguard, that is until it wasn’t.

“It was not a very windy day,” Legath, of Foster Township, said.

But there was enough wind to sweep an unattended rental umbrella from the sand, impaling 46-year-old Jill Mendygral in the upper chest.

“When you think of the thousands of umbrellas we have (on the beach) every single day, this was a very rare occasion,” he said. “For me, this was the most interesting thing I have seen.”

Legath was the second responder to the accident, calling in the incident to emergency crews and then keeping the woman’s mind off her injury.

“I took off to get there as fast as I could and realize that there was an umbrella impaled in the woman,” he said. “She was very calm and was able to have a full conversation with me. Talking with her was able to keep her mind and eyes off the incident.

“One of the things we asked for was her address, and that’s when I found out that she lived kind of close to me in Luzerne County. When I said ‘what a small world,’ we both had a small laugh and went back to the issue at hand.”

Firefighters were eventually able to cut the wooden pole away from the umbrella using a circular saw, leaving a small piece in Mendygral’s wound to minimize any further damage.

EMS responders then transported her from the beach to a waiting ambulance and then a medical helicopter to Salisbury Hospital, where she underwent surgery.

According to The Associated Press, Mendygral’s family released a statement a few days later, saying she suffered severe pain, and she and her family are grateful to those who helped rescue her.

Legath also said everyone who responded to the incident did a “fantastic job.”

“I know no matter where on the beach this happened and what lifeguard it was, the same outcome would have happened,” he said of his co-workers.

Legath reminds the public that if they are visiting a beach, they should remember that installing their umbrella correctly could save someone’s life.

“To help prevent something like this, (your) umbrella should be put 18 to 24 inches in the sand, and tilted into the wind. Unattended umbrellas should always be closed so they are not a hazard.”