distracted lifeguard – A California State Parks lifeguard allegedly distracted while driving an agency vehicle ran over a 20-year-old woman lying in the sand at Francis Beach in Half Moon Bay on Wednesday. She was taken to the hospital but is expected to survive, and the San Mateo C
The moment people were relaxing on the sand at Francis Beach in Half Moon Bay on Wednesday turned into a scene of emergency response after a California State Parks lifeguard allegedly drove an agency vehicle over a woman lying in the sand, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff’s spokesperson Gretchen Spiker said initial reports indicated the driver may have been distracted. The woman, who was 20 years old, was taken to the hospital. Spiker said she was expected to survive.
The sheriff’s office is conducting an investigation into the incident.
Francis Beach is the main hub of Half Moon Bay State Beach, which is also known as Kelly State Beach. Adeline Yee, a spokesperson for California State Parks, said the incident involved a seasonal lifeguard at Francis Beach.
The sequence of events has renewed concern about what happens when drivers and beachgoers share the same space. The details in Wednesday’s case echo past incidents involving people struck on the sand. In 2018. a woman was taken to a hospital after being hit by a pickup driven by an on-duty municipal worker while she was lying on the sand in Newport Beach. Two years earlier. a Los Angeles County employee drove over a man laying in the sand in Venice Beach. severely injuring the victim.
With the investigation underway, investigators are working to determine what exactly distracted the driver and how a lifeguard on the job ended up striking a person who was simply in the sand.
Half Moon Bay Francis Beach Kelly State Beach California State Parks lifeguard distracted driving San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office beach safety investigation