Woman sleeping in lifeguard tower dies when it falls in middle of night, VA cops say

A woman sleeping overnight at the beach was killed when a lifeguard tower fell over on top of her, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.

It happened around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at a stretch of beach lined with hotels and resorts, police said in a news release. Virginia Beach is about 105 miles southeast of Richmond.

“A citizen called about a life guard stand that had fallen onto the victim, Chelsea Moles,” police said. “Moles was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

An investigation revealed the 28-year-old was “sleeping on top of the stand” near 21st Street in the minutes prior to her death.

“Another individual tied a hammock to the stand causing the stand to topple over crushing on top of Moles,” police said.

The identity of the person who witnessed the tower fall was not revealed.

Moles’ death has been ruled an accident, police said. She may have been sleeping at the beach because she is currently without a home, officials said.

Details of the tower’s size were not released, but single-person lifeguard stations can weigh 280 pounds and stand about 7 feet tall, eLifeguard.com reports.

This story was originally published September 11, 2023 at 2:15 PM with the headline "Woman sleeping in lifeguard tower dies when it falls in middle of night, VA cops say."