South Carolina Woman Dies After Being Impaled by Beach Umbrella

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.