South Carolina Woman Killed by Patio Umbrella While Dining at a Restaurant
Dana Weinger was 56 years old, dining on the patio of a lakeside restaurant with her husband and family on a Saturday evening in May. She did not make it home.
Weinger died on May 23 at Driftwood Grill: Home of the Lazy Gator, a restaurant on Lake Marion in Summerton, South Carolina, after a sudden gust of wind picked up a patio umbrella and turned it into a projectile. The umbrella struck her in the neck, severing her carotid artery. First responders arrived around 7:40 p.m. to find her unresponsive with lacerations to her head and neck. EMS worked to save her at the scene but could not revive her. She was pronounced dead approximately one hour after the incident.
"EMS followed protocol but could not revive her," Clarendon County Coroner Jacqueline Blackwell said in a statement.
What Happened
The evening had been calm enough for outdoor dining on the restaurant's lakeside patio. Then conditions changed quickly. Clarendon County Sheriff Tim Baxley told local outlet WIS that a sudden, strong wind lifted the umbrella from a table and sent it into Weinger before anyone had time to react. The umbrella's impact severed her carotid artery — one of the main blood vessels supplying the brain — causing the kind of injury that leaves almost no margin for survival even with immediate medical attention.
Driftwood Grill posted a statement on Facebook in the hours after Weinger's death. "Our hearts are with the family, friends, and loved ones affected by the tragic incident during last night's sudden severe weather event at Lake Marion," the restaurant wrote. "This has deeply affected many people in our community, including guests, staff, first responders, and everyone involved."
An autopsy was scheduled at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Not the First Time
As shocking as the incident is, it is not without precedent in South Carolina or elsewhere. In a separate incident in Garden City, South Carolina, a woman named Tammy Perreault, 63, was killed when a beach umbrella was picked up by wind and impaled her while she sat on the sand. Perreault was taken to Waccamaw Community Hospital, where she died. That incident highlights a recurring hazard that safety experts have long warned about — the combination of unsecured patio or beach umbrellas and sudden gusts of wind can turn ordinary outdoor furniture into a dangerous projectile within seconds.
Safety recommendations for outdoor umbrellas consistently emphasize anchoring them with heavy-duty bases, closing them when not in use or when wind picks up, and never leaving them open and unattended in variable weather conditions.
A Community in Mourning
Weinger was from Huger, South Carolina. Beyond her name and age, little additional information about her has been made public. The investigation into the incident is ongoing. No charges have been announced, and the incident appears to be a tragic accident rather than the result of negligence.
Summerton is a small community of fewer than 1,000 people in Clarendon County. For a town that size, the loss of a visitor under such sudden and violent circumstances has left a mark on both the restaurant and the broader community.
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