A beachgoer has died after being struck by a police truck on a South Carolina beach, authorities said.
A Ford Ranger pickup truck was headed north in the Myrtle Beach area just after 1 p.m. Thursday when it hit the beachgoer, who was facing east, Lance Cpl. Lena Butler said in an audio statement. The injured person was taken to Grand Strand Medical Center, where they died from their injuries, she said. The driver, the only person in the truck, was not injured, Butler said.
The Horry County Police Department said in a statement Friday that the collision at the Nash Street beach access involved a department vehicle and the officer involved is on administrative leave. The highway patrol is investigating the collision and an internal investigation will also be conducted.
“What occurred on the beach yesterday was a tragedy and we know our community is hurting. Our hearts are with all those impacted by this loss,” the department said in a statement. “We also know our community has questions. We do too.”
Images from the scene show people crowded around the police truck on the beach. Dennis Miller told WMBF-TV bystanders tried to help the person pinned under the truck, doing their best to lift it.
The Horry County Coroner’s Office did not immediately identify the person who died.
