Woman killed after loose beach umbrella impales her in the chest

'Some things we will never begin to understand'

A woman in America was killed on Wednesday after a beach umbrella was swept up in violent winds and impaled her in the chest. Tammy Perreault was visiting Garden City Beach, South Carolina, when tragedy struck and she was impaled by an umbrella at around noon. Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard told the press that Perreault suffered massive chest trauma. Thomas Bell, a spokesperson for Horry County Emergency Management, also said that she received medical attention from off-duty medical professionals before the emergency services arrived. [caption id="attachment_353541" align="alignnone" width="908"] Via Facebook[/caption] Perreault sadly died roughly an hour after arriving at Waccamaw ER, age 63. "This is a terrible loss, and we know our community is hurting," Bell told WMBF. "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim as they navigate through this difficult time." A touching tribute was posted by Perreault's regular drinking hole, Scotty's Beach Bar. "Today with heavy hearts we mourn the loss of a dear friend and kind hearted local, Tammy Perreault," they said. "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. "Mike, we love you and are immensely sorry for your loss," they added. While injuries from out-of-control umbrellas are fairly common, people rarely die because of them. In 2016, Lottie Michelle Belk, 55, was killed in a similar fashion. This spurred senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner to call for a review of their safety.

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