A Pennsylvania woman is recovering after she fell and was trapped in a boardwalk at a South Jersey park.
Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy tells the Asbury Park Press that 30-year-old Wenli Wang, of Newtown, was crabbing near the pier at Berkeley Island County Park in Berkeley Township.
Around 12:40 p.m. Sunday, her leg became lodged up to her left knee in a space between boards that was a little larger than four inches. A nail pierced the knee and her leg began to swell, making it difficult to extract her.
"She was screaming," said 11-year-old Mia Febres, who witnessed the woman fall. "She was scared."
Wang was finally freed around 2 p.m. after firefighters used hydraulic tools to pry apart the boards and carefully chip wood away from her leg. She was taken to a hospital for treatment and later released.
"It was a unique situation to say the least," said Sergeant Michael Pannone of the Ocean County Sheriff's Office. "I don't think anybody has ever come across something like this so they kind of had to figure it out as they went along."
Authorities say it's not clear whether a board was missing or if the design of the boardwalk allowed her to fall in. The boardwalk was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy and later rebuilt. County officials told NBC10 however that all of the wood was replaced and believe the accident was an isolated incident.
