(WESH/NBC) - A woman who was stretched out on the sand on a Central Florida beach suddenly found herself pinned under a car Friday.
The victim, Claire Mulder, was lying out on New Smyrna Beach with her earbuds on and eyes closed, when the incident occurred.
"I heard a loud ‘thunk’ and I was just pinned under a car," said Mulder.
Mulder said the front tires never ran over her, but she was trapped under the front bumper.
"I just felt like the crushing wasn't going to stop so I started screaming and my boyfriend was next to me and leaped up and started pounding on the car hood," said Mulder.
She said the driver parked to her right and was trying to leave her parking space by making a u-turn instead of backing out.
"I will say when I first got there, I was like, 'Wow this is weird, cars on the beach. I even said that to my boyfriend. I obviously don't feel that safe because I wasn't safe," said Mulder.
Locals say allowing cars on the beach is crucial to the economy.
"We thrive for cars on the beach. There's a lot of surf contests on the beach that you can't get there unless you're driving. A lot of fishermen brings in a lot of tourists," said one resident.
Mulder said her biggest surprise was the driver wasn't ticketed.
"Her not even getting cited shows they're not really taking this seriously, and I'm confused as to why she wasn't cited I guess. I feel like she should be held responsible for what she did," said Mulder.
Beach patrol has not released a statement regarding the situation.
Mulder declined an ambulance and hospital care at but has since visited the hospital after feeling pain in the right side of her body. She said she did not suffer critical injuries but is taking pain medication.
The driver of the car said she simply didn't see the woman sunbathing.
Courtesy WESH via NBC News Channel