Heading to Daytona Beach soon? Bring a helmet.
This lesson was unfortunately learned by Erin Joynt, 33, of Wichita, Kan., when a patrol truck ran over her head while she was sunbathing on Daytona Beach.
Yes, that's right. Her head.
Was she wearing a beige swim suit while laying on a beige towel? She wasn't buried in the sand with her head sticking out just enough to breathe.
According to reports, this poor woman was minding her own business, catching some rays, when a beach patrol pickup truck ran over her head while making a U-turn.
The driver of the truck, a 21-year-old lifeguard, said he didn't see her. According to Volusia County officials, this particular watchman of beachgoers had a "spotless record."
This makes the rest of this story all the more unusual.
This is not some freak accident that only happens once every 10 years.
Sunbathers have been run over by patrol vehicles three times in the last year. This is the sixth incident since 2003.
Signs in the area should read: "Beware of undertow, jellyfish, stingrays and recklessly driven patrol vehicles."
The driver of the vehicle might have had a spotless record, but it begs the question whether or not this is some game played by local lifeguards.
Five points if you hit their torso. Ten points if you can run over their head.
In yesterday's editorial, we mentioned a plan to ban kayaks and canoes in a local spring, which some officials believed might be a danger to swimmers.
At least swimmers can dunk their heads underwater.
How hard is it to become a certified beach patrol lifeguard?
A license proving you can save people from drowning is required, but a driver's license must be optional.
Dave Byron, a spokesman for the county, said officials will consider proposals to ban large vehicles from driving on the beach due to visibility problems.
It is ironic when the supposed protectors of our safety end up causing us more harm than protection. So much for being a lifeguard.
The lifeguards in these patrol vehicles of death obviously did not mean to harm anyone. However, the county should really reconsider beach policies concerning vehicles on the beach. Maybe they can designate certain "No Sunbathing" areas or at least signs reading: "Warning: Patrol Vehicles Drive Past This Point."
Luckily, Joynt is alive and in stable condition.
