South Carolina Tammy Perreault dies after being impaled by Garden City beach umbrella

Tammy Perreault was killed after she was impaled by a Garden City beach umbrella in South Carolina on Wednesday.

Local authorities reported that a beach umbrella that had been blown away in a blast of wind impaled a woman from South Carolina in the chest, resulting in her death.

Wednesday around 12:40 p.m., an umbrella detached from its anchor and struck Tammy Perreault at a Garden City beach, according to Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard.

Off-duty medical workers and good Samaritans rushed to help Perreault while they waited for an ambulance to arrive, officials said.

However, the 63-year-old woman died of chest trauma an hour later at Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital.

Thomas Bell, a representative for Horry County Emergency Management, was quoted as telling the source, “This is a horrible loss, and we know our community is hurting.” Bell said that the organization is aware of the pain that the community is experiencing. As the loved ones and friends of the victim work their way through this trying time, please know that your thoughts and prayers are with them.

A heartfelt obituary for Perreault was written and published on the Facebook page of Scotty’s Surfside Bar.

“Today with sorrowful hearts, we grieve the passing of Tammy Perreault, a good friend and kind-hearted local,” the message read. “There are some things we will never fully comprehend, but we do know that nobody has anything negative to say about this woman. To be as sweet as she is on a daily basis should be everyone’s ambition.”

It is fairly uncommon for beach umbrellas to cause injuries and deaths when they are blown down the beach by the wind.