A woman succumbed to her injuries after getting impaled by a beach umbrella while enjoying her free time under the sun.
The horrifying incident took place at around 12.40 pm on Wednesday when 63-year-old Tammy Perreault from South Carolina was resting at the Garden City beach in Horry County.
All of a sudden, a strong gush of wind picked up a loose beach umbrella and sent it flying straight through the woman’s chest.
An hour after the victim was rushed to the hospital, Perreault succumbed to her chest trauma and was pronounced dead.
Following the “kind-hearted” woman’s passing, Scotty’s Beach Bar – a local hangout place where Tammy was a regular – paid the patron a touching tribute.
“Today with heavy hearts we mourn the loss of a dear friend and kind hearted local, Tammy Perreault. Some things we will never begin to understand but what we do know is 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,” they wrote.
“If everyone can please keep the Perreault family in your hearts today especially her husband Mike. Mike we love you and are immensely sorry for your loss.. everyone at Scotty’s will continue prayers.”
While the details surrounding the horrific incident remain unclear, it is known that beach umbrellas may be caught in and moved by strong winds if not properly secured.
Though not often heard of, as many as 3,000 people a year get injured by such umbrellas every year according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Among the injured people, the majority happen to be women aged over 40, the Journal of Safety Research confirmed.
“The most frequently reported injury was laceration followed by contusions or abrasions and internal organ injury, and the body part with the highest proportion of injuries was the head/neck followed by the upper extremity,” their paper reads.
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