A flying umbrella landed on a woman, aged 63 years old, and she speared her chest.
Tammy Perreault was walking with her husband near Myrtle Beach in South Carolina when she felt a strong gust of wind blow the umbrella into the air. Perrault was not able to save her friends who screamed and dodged, but it was too late. She was struck by the pole’s sharp end and impaled.
Mike, her husband is still reeling from the terrible accident.
“It was just a regular day with all our beach friends, and then this happened,”Mike said.
He is distraught and wants all beachgoers to be alert.
“Keep your eyes open. It could have been a 10-year-old kid, and it just so happened that it was my wife,”Mike said: “Good Morning America.”
Tammy’s friend, Sherry White, was there and witnessed the incident.
“I’ll never forget it. I think about it every minute. Her life was just cut so short. It’s just not fair,”White stated this to the outlet.
Sarah Schermerhorn Murphy from beachBUB, who is a specialist in umbrella safety, showed how to attach an umbrella in the sand. To dig the hole, she used a special tool called a “sand gopher” and said that an anchor was essential.
Experts recommend that you take your umbrella down when the wind blows at the beach exceeds 15 to 20 MPH. This is because it will be unable to anchor in strong winds.