The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that beach umbrella-related incidents send approximately 3,000 people to the hospital each year.
Beachgoers in Florida looked on in terror last week as a giant waterspout formed on the water.
Swimmers quickly got out the waterspout's path, while those on the sand began running for their lives.
The incident ended with two people hospitalized after they were hit by beach umbrellas that suddenly started flying down Clearwater Beach, uprooted by the pressure of the vortex.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that beach umbrella-related incidents send approximately 3,000 people to the hospital each year.
These incidents can also be fatal, as seen last year when Tammy Perrault was killed after being impaled in the chest by a beach umbrella in Surfside Beach, South Carolina.
Long Beach, California, lifeguard Austin Trinkle says beachgoers should try to use a shovel when setting up a beach umbrella.
"You want to go as deep as you can, I'd say at least a foot and a half," Trinkle tells Inside Edition.
He also advises placing the umbrella so it faces into the wind and holding it down with weights.
"I would recommend that you want your umbrella to be well anchored so that it doesn't blow away," says Trinkle.
The National Weather Service also advises to never get too close to a waterspout because they can be just as dangerous as a tornado.
