A beachgoer was killed Wednesday after a loose beach umbrella impaled her in the chest, authorities said.
The umbrella was blown from its anchoring by the wind around 12:40 p.m. and hit Tammy Perreault while she was at a Garden City beach, Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said, according to the Associated Press and local and national news outlets.
Perreault, 63, died about an hour later at the hospital from chest trauma, Willard said.
Some 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 are not anchored properly, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The federal agency estimates about 3,000 people are injured by beach umbrellas every year.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Business Interruption Claims Approach $1M Average, Says Allianz 
Europe’s Insurers Cut Coverage of Weather Losses, Report Says 
AI’s Water Strain Includes Surging Demand From Electricity Use 
Hordes of Teens on E-Bikes Force Suburbs to Rewrite Road Rules 
