Woman dies at South Carolina beach after being impaled by umbrella

In an unfortunate turn of events, a woman died at a beach in South Carolina when an umbrella blown away in a gust of wind pierced her chest. According to local officials, the woman, who has been identified as Tammy Perreault, died on the spot when the umbrella placed at the beach impaled her chest after it broke loose from its anchor.

Other people in the area and medical professionals tried to aid the 63-year-old Perreault, but she died after an hour at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital.

Thomas Bell from Horry County Emergency Management stated that the unfortunate demise of Tammy Perreault is a terrible loss and paid condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. Furthermore, Scotty's Surfside Bar also paid tribute to Perreault in a Facebook post, which mourned her sad demise.




It is not the first time an umbrella blowing out due to high-speed winds at the beach has harmed someone. In the past, such instances have caused severe injuries to the locals who visit such beaches.



In such circumstances, the sharp upper end of the umbrellas proves to be lethal, as it hurts the people on whom it impales. In the past, US Consumer Product Safety Commission had also said that these sharp ends of the umbrellas could become lethal once they get blown away by high-speed winds.

According to the agency's statistics, around 3,000 people are injured annually by such beach umbrellas. In 2016, a 55-year-old woman named Lottie Michelle Belk also died in the same manner when a beach umbrella impaled her body at Virginia Beach.

Citing this, US Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner also raised concerns to the safety agency and requested it review the safety rules regarding such umbrellas.