Female Sunbather Struck by Lifeguard SUV at Venice Beach

Female Sunbather Struck by Lifeguard SUV at Venice Beach

Posted 12:23 PM, September 16, 2014, by Melissa Pamer

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A photo taken at Venice Beach on Sept. 15, 2014, shows first responders treating a woman injured when she was run over by a lifeguard vehicle. (Credit: NameOnRice)

A 25-year-old woman who was sunbathing at Venice Beach was run over by a county lifeguard SUV, authorities confirmed Tuesday.
The incident occurred about 4:20 p.m. Monday after a lifeguard responded to call about swimmers getting too close to rocks, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Scott Miller.
The lifeguard was driving away from the scene without lights or sirens when the vehicle struck the woman, Miller said, citing information from the department’s lifeguard section chief. The SUV had used lights and sirens when originally arriving at the location, Miller said.
The victim was hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center, authorities said.
The incident follows a May crash in which a county Department of Beaches and Harbors worker drove over a 49-year-old female sunbather, also at Venice Beach. In February, a man was run over by a maintenance worker’s truck on the beach in Long Beach.
In the Monday collision, the woman was struck by a lifeguard’s Ford Escape SUV while her husband was swimming in the ocean, according to Sgt. Frazier with the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic Division, which took a report on the incident.
Frazier referred to the incident as a tragic accident. The lifeguard stopped and called for help after hitting the woman, Frazier said.
The victim had injuries that were not life-threatening, he said.
Miller did not know exactly where on the beach the woman had been lying when she was struck.
KTLA’s Alberto Mendez and Jennifer Thang contributed to this article.

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