A South Carolina woman was killed after she was impaled in the chest by a beach umbrella that blew away in a gust of wind, local authorities said.
Tammy Perreault was on a beach in Garden City when the umbrella came loose from its anchor and hit her around 12:40 p.m. Wednesday, Horry County Chief Coroner Tamara Willard told reporters .
Off-duty medical professionals and good Samaritans swung into action and rendered aid to Perreault while they waited for an ambulance to arrive, officials said.
But the 63-year-old woman died about an hour later at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital from chest trauma, according to WMBF.
“This is a terrible loss and we know our community is hurting,” Horry County Emergency Management spokesman Thomas Bell told the network. “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family and friends as they navigate this difficult time.”
Scotty’s Surfside Bar posted a touching tribute to Perreault on its Facebook page.
“Today, it is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of a dear friend and kind-hearted local, Tammy Perreault,” the post said. “There are things we will never begin to understand, but what we do know is that no one has a bad thing to say about this woman. To be as sweet as her day in and day out should be a goal for all of us.”
Tammy Perreault was killed after being impaled by a beach umbrella on Wednesday. Facebook Scotty’s Beach Bar remembered local Tammy Perreault, who was killed by an umbrella on Wednesday.
Injuries and deaths are not uncommon from umbrellas being blown onto beaches after being caught in the wind.
The pointy end of umbrellas can become lethal when a gust of wind catches the device’s canopy and blows it away, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The federal agency estimates that about 3,000 people are injured by umbrellas each year.
In 2016, Lottie Michelle Belk, 55, was killed by a beach umbrella in Virginia Beach, prompting U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to petition the safety agency that reviews the safety standards for parasols.
With post cables