Overview
- Dana Weinger, 56, of Huger was dining with her husband when an unsecured umbrella blew free and struck her at the Driftwood Grill on Lake Marion, leaving her unresponsive and later pronounced dead at the scene.
- Clarendon County officials say the wind event was a sudden, strong gust described by the coroner as a microburst and investigators are treating the death as an accident.
- Local first responders arrived after a 911 call about 7:40 p.m. on Saturday, May 23, found Weinger with head and neck injuries, and the coroner arranged an autopsy at the Medical University of South Carolina to determine the official cause.
- Sheriff and coroner statements reported the umbrella struck the neck and that emergency teams and the restaurant offered grief counseling and support sessions for staff, guests, family members and first responders.
- The incident echoes past deadly umbrella accidents and public safety guidance from regulators that strong gusts can turn unsecured umbrellas into dangerous projectiles, which officials and the restaurant cited as part of their response.