Tammy Perreault (63) was killed, impaled by a beach umbrella, while she was relaxing with her family at Garden City Beach in South Carolina.
Umbrellas are extremely dangerous when not secured properly. Reports like this is why Awnet have spent years developing the worlds strongest and safest umbrellas. It’s also why Awnet work closely with Australian councils councils to ensure street trading standards are at safe levels.
Tammy’s incident is unfortunate, but it’s a reminder as to why Awnet strives for high safety and quality standards.
The umbrella broke loose from its anchor and struck her through her arm and into her rib cage, causing her to bleed out in 30 to 40 seconds.
Witnesses stated the umbrella came from a nearby hotel and had blown from the ground into the air. The umbrella tumbled “end over end down the beach until it struck the victim on the left side of the upper torso,” the report said.
They transferred Tammy Perreault to a local hospital, where medical staff pronounced her dead.
Horry County Deputy Coroner Dale Trevathan told reporters that Perreault’s cause of death was “chest trauma by the umbrella shaft.” He said the victim died on the way to the hospital.
Injuries and deaths from unsecured beach umbrellas are not uncommon. The end of the umbrella pole can become lethal once a gust of wind catches the device’s canopy and sends it flying.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that beach umbrellas injure about 3,000 people in the USA every year.
Here at Awnet we do not sell or promote beach umbrellas because they go against our stance of safety, strength and security. Awnet designs, engineers, and certifies all its umbrellas to meet the harshest council compliance and weather conditions.
Contact Awnet to discuss your requirements.