“One of a Kind” Woman Tragically Dies After Getting Impaled by Beach Umbrella in Freak Accident

A “one of a kind” 63-year-old woman in South Carolina sadly lost her life when she was impaled in the chest by a beach umbrella that had become loose roughly 20 minutes south of Myrtle Beach.

On Wednesday (August 10), Tammy Perreault suffered fatal injuries after a parasol on Garden City Beach was carried by wind and impaled her when it became dislodged from its anchoring, according to Tamara Willard, the Chief Deputy Coroner for Horry County, South Carolina.

Tammy regrettably lost her life less than an hour after the unexpected freak accident while she was being treated at a local hospital.

Her husband, Mike Perreault, and four of their friends, were with her when it happened.

“It was a regular breezy day, no other umbrellas or beach blankets or anything got foiled,” he told NBC News. “Just this one umbrella.”

According to what Mike remembered, the umbrella came crashing down the beach from a distance of approximately 40 feet, and everyone ducked for cover except for Tammy.

“It went through her arm into her rib cage,” he said. “She bled out in maybe 30 or 40 seconds.”

Following the tragic news of Tammy’s passing, Scotty’s Beach Bar, which she frequently patronized, paid tribute to her on Facebook by writing that “no one has a bad thing to say about this woman.”

“Today with heavy hearts we mourn the loss of a dear friend and kind hearted local, Tammy Perreault,” they wrote.

“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.

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.”

Apparently 3,000 people are injured by beach umbrellas every year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The federal agency has previously warned: “Airborne beach umbrellas can be dangerous, even deadly. Make sure your beach umbrella stays anchored in the sand!”

According to the Journal of Safety Research, the majority of people who are harmed by beach and patio umbrellas are women over the age of 40.

“She was one of a kind,” her husband said tearfully. “After a couple of years, I asked her to marry me. We got married at a beach in Jamaica.”

“It was just her and I all the time,” he said. “Our friends said if you saw Mike, you saw Tammy, and if you saw Tammy, you saw Mike. Tammy loved everybody, she never had a bad word for anybody at all.”