Umbrella swept by wind kills woman at South Carolina beach
GARDEN CITY, S.C. (AP) – Authorities say a beachgoer was killed after a loose beach umbrella impaled her in the chest.
The Horry County Coroner’s Office says 63-year-old Tammy Perreault was hit by the umbrella around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at a Garden City beach.
She died about an hour later at the hospital from chest trauma.
Beach umbrellas have a spiked end to help push them into the sand and their wide canopy allows them to get caught up in a strong wind if they’re not anchored properly.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates about 3,000 people are injured by beach umbrellas every year.
