A 56-year-old woman died after a table umbrella was torn loose by wind and struck her in the neck while she was dining on a patio at a South Carolina restaurant on 23 May, officials said.

First responders found Dana Winger of Huger unresponsive with a cut and were unable to revive her, according to the Clarendon County Coroner's Office. She had been eating with her husband at Driftwood Grill in Summerton when a strong and sudden wind blew the umbrella from the table and hit her head and neck.

The restaurant said in a Facebook post that the episode unfolded during a sudden severe weather event at Lake Marion. On Monday, Driftwood Grill said a grief support team met with staff and community members after what it called a tragic incident that affected guests, workers, first responders and others in the area.

Clarendon County Coroner Jacqueline Blackwell said the case is being investigated as an accident, and an autopsy is scheduled for 27 May. The restaurant has asked for prayers, compassion and privacy for the family, while the investigation moves forward and the focus remains on how quickly a routine meal turned fatal.

Winger's death has left a small restaurant community facing the aftermath of a sudden weather event that gave no warning and left no room to react. The next official step is the scheduled autopsy, which should help confirm the circumstances already described by investigators.