Woman dies after being impaled by flying beach umbrella

A woman celebrating her birthday at Virginia Beach died Wednesday after she was impaled by a windblown beach umbrella, police said.

Virginia Beach police said the umbrella was anchored in the sand when a strong gust of wind carried it, hitting  55-year-old Lottie Michelle Belk of Chester, a suburb of Richmond.

Emergency crews responded after receiving a 911 call at about 5 p.m. regarding a woman in cardiac arrest. The woman was impaled in the torso, Tonya Pierce, the police spokeswoman, said.

When medics arrived, they found the woman with a life-threatening injury. The woman was taken to a hospital, where she died.  The incident remains under investigation but police say there is no evidence of foul play.