A woman is dead after she was hit by an airborne patio umbrella while out to eat at a South Carolina restaurant.
USA Today reported the woman was identified as 56-year-old Dana Winger by the Clarendon County Coroner.
The Huger, South Carolina, woman was out to dinner with her husband and other relatives on the patio at Driftwood Home of the Lazy Gator at Lake Marion in Summerton Saturday night.
The coroner told WYFF the umbrella was picked up by a “sudden, powerful burst of wind.”
“This is not an everyday occurrence,” the coroner told KTVB. “This is just one of those tragic things that happened.”
KTVB reported that when first responders arrived, they found Winger with injuries to her head and neck. EMS crews attempted life-saving measures at the scene, but she could not be revived.
The Clarendon County Coroner, Jacqueline Blackwell, told KTVB that officials are reviewing weather data from Saturday night. Emergency managers are also working to better understand the conditions at the time of the incident.
“It was strong, strong wind, like a microburst that came through and knocked not just the umbrella; it knocked all of the furniture and other debris onto where they were sitting,” she told KTVB.
The son of Winger’s husband, Cameron Winger, wrote a tearful tribute to her on Facebook, promising to take care of their family.
“Mrs. Dana, I promise I will make sure Dad and our lake family are OK,” he wrote. “Just because y’all are no longer here with us doesn’t mean y’all won’t live through us.”
Many tributes for Winger described her as a kind, loving woman.
“Dana was someone very, very special to me,” Joseph Daniel Hendrix commented on Winger’s post. “I hope we can all stay together and continue her legacy.”
It appears the restaurant may have unlisted its main phone number from Google.
Atlanta Black Star tried to reach out but found a statement from the owners on Facebook instead.
“This has impacted many people—including staff members, guests, first responders, families, and community members,” the restaurant wrote. “And we are grateful for the continued support, prayers, understanding, and encouragement being shown through the area.”
The restaurant offered additional emotional or grief support, which can be found through local emergency support personnel and chaplain services.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to members of Winger’s family, but has not heard back.