South Carolina woman dies after being impaled by beach umbrella

A South Carolina girl was killed after she was impaled within the chest by a seashore umbrella that had blown away in a gust of wind, native officers mentioned.

Tammy Perreault was at a Backyard Metropolis seashore when the umbrella broke free from its anchor and struck her round 12:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard instructed reporters.

Off-duty medical professionals and good Samaritans sprung into motion and rendered assist to Perreault whereas ready for an ambulance to reach, officers mentioned.

However the 63-year-old girl died about an hour later at Tidelands Waccamaw Group Hospital from chest trauma, in line with WMBF.

“This can be a horrible loss, and we all know our neighborhood is hurting,” Thomas Bell, a spokesperson for Horry County Emergency Administration, instructed the outlet. “Our ideas are with the household and buddies of the sufferer as they navigate by this troublesome time.”

Scotty’s Surfside Bar posted a touching tribute to Perreault on their Fb web page.

“At present with heavy hearts we mourn the lack of a pricey pal and sort hearted native, Tammy Perreault,” ,” the submit mentioned. “Some issues we’ll by no means start to grasp however what we do know is nobody has a nasty factor to say about this girl. To be as candy as her day in and day trip needs to be a objective for all.”

Accidents and deaths from seashore umbrellas careening down seashores after they’ve been caught within the wind should not unusual.

The spiked finish of the umbrellas can change into deadly as soon as a gust of wind catches the machine’s cover and sends it flying, the U.S. Shopper Product Security Fee mentioned.

The federal company estimates about 3,000 persons are injured by seashore umbrellas yearly.

In 2016, 55-year-old Lottie Michelle Belk was killed by a windblown seashore umbrella in Virginia Seaside, prompting  U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner requested the security company to overview security guidelines for seashore umbrellas.

With Publish Wires