A woman relaxing at a beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, was reportedly run over by a police officer during a freak accident last week.
The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Star-Ledger. Wildwood Police Chief Joseph Murphy told the Press of Atlantic City that the incident involved one of the department’s Ford F-150 pickup trucks.
The victim, whose name was not released by authorities, suffered broken ribs, three fractured vertebrae and a lung injury, according to WPVI-TV, which cited the victim’s boyfriend.
Murphy said that the officer operating the pickup truck had been responding to an ordinance violation when the accident happened.
ODD-LOOKING FISH, LARGEST OF ITS KIND, WASHES UP ON BEACH, STUMPS EXPERTS: ‘REMARKABLE’
A woman was reportedly run over by a Wildwood Police Department vehicle last week. (iStock)
“The officer was down there in performance of his duties, on a call for service,” the police chief said. “Horrifically, he ran over a victim who was lying on the beach.”
Murphy added that the victim was visiting Wildwood while on vacation, ahead of Labor Day weekend.
“There was a lot of help from people on the beach,” the police chief added. “The civilians on the beach did an incredible job.”
A bystander named Rose Simone told WPVI-TV that fellow beachgoers immediately started panicking when the car ran over the woman.
WOMAN IMPALED BY UMBRELLA WHILE SUNBATHING AT FLORIDA BEACH: POLICE
People walk along the beach days before the Memorial Day weekend, the un-official start of summer, on the Jersey shore on May 27, 2021 in Wildwood, New Jersey. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
“Everybody was gathering around screaming, yelling at the person in the truck, ‘Stop! There’s somebody under your truck! You hit somebody!'” the Chalfont, Pa., resident recalled.
“A bunch of guys came around that were in the area, and they said we have to lift the truck, the front of the truck, to get her out,” Simone continued.
Simone told the Star-Ledger that she had noticed the woman before the incident happened. The victim was wearing dark clothes while lying on a beach towel.
“It was an accident, clearly. But one that probably could have been avoided,” she added.
The victim is expected to survive.
: A couple embraces on the beach on May 30, 2022 in Wildwood, New Jersey. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to the Wildwood Police Department for more information.
