South Carolina lawmaker calls for ban on police vehicles on beaches after fatal accident

Police in South Carolina have restricted the use of trucks to patrol beaches following a fatal accident that killed a 66-year-old woman earlier this month. At the same time, a local lawmaker told Fox News Digital he would propose a bill that would ban the large vehicles from the beach except in emergencies.

According to reports, a longtime police officer was driving a Ford Ranger in Myrtle Beach on June 13 when he accidentally ran over Sandy Schultz-Peters, a local nurse who was sitting on the beach, around 1 p.m.

The woman was struck from the front and pinned under the passenger tire of the truck as it approached the beach from the Nash Street entrance, The Post and Courier reports. After a desperate rescue attempt, which also involved the driver and two paramedics who happened to be on the beach at the time, Schultz-Peters later died in hospital.

South Carolina beachgoer dies after being hit by police vehicle on beach

Sandy Schultz-Peters (left), who was fatally hit by a police car in South Carolina, and on the right, a driveway to Myrtle Beach, where the incident occurred. (Sandy Schultz-Peters via Facebook, left, and Google Maps)

The fatal incident is currently being investigated by the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Horry County Police Department (HCPD) and raises questions about the safety risks associated with driving trucks on beaches due to the dangerous blind spots in front of the vehicles’ hoods.

The incident is not the first involving an officer in Horry County.

In 2020, an officer pulled over a 69-year-old woman lying on the sand in Garden City. The officer in that case said he turned right onto a beach access and some trash cans blocked his view of the woman, who survived, according to local reports.

Aerial view of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at sunset. (iStock)

Republican state Rep. William Bailey, who previously served as public safety commissioner for North Myrtle Beach, told Fox News Digital that increasing crowds on South Carolina’s beaches have left patrol cars with less room to maneuver and it’s time to take legislative action on the issue.

“At the end of the day, it’s not reasonable to tell me you need a big truck down there when people are lying on towels,” Bailey says. “We need to get rid of big vehicles – the peripheral vision is terrible.”

Bailey said he wanted police to use all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) for their patrols and that trucks should only be used in an emergency when the siren sounds to warn beachgoers. He said today’s ATVs can carry virtually the same equipment as trucks and that when he led the city’s beach patrol, he tried to minimize the hours the trucks would spend on the beach.

Two patrol cars used by the Horry County Police Department. (Horry County Police Department)

“It’s such a tragic event. Not only is it a tragic event for the family that lost their loved one, but it’s a tragic event for the officers that are down there just trying to do their jobs and have an accident that will affect them forever,” Bailey said.

“So I think once public safety comes to terms with the situation and understands that there are other ways to do their jobs safely, it will have a positive impact… I think it will be a win-win for our community and our state beaches.”

Republican state Rep. Tim McGinnis told Fox News Digital that he would be willing to support such legislation if public safety officials deem it necessary.

“I’m in the investigation phase right now and it’s just tragic what happened. I want to do everything I can to prevent this from happening while letting the police and public safety people do their jobs.”

Crowds enjoy the beach on May 29, 2021 in Myrtle Beach, SC (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

The Horry County Police Department said it has reduced the use of trucks and instead deployed more foot and all-terrain vehicle patrols.

“Due to the need for certain emergency equipment and the transportation needs of community members, trucks remain critical for some emergency operations,” said the statement, released Friday, a week after the incident.

The HCPD said its beach patrol unit uses a range of equipment, including trucks, ATVs, jet skis and boats, to service beaches in the county. The type of vehicle used depends on the time of day, the type of vehicle being serviced and the number of people on the beach at any given time. The police department’s jurisdiction stretches about 14 miles from Little River to Murrells Inlet.

Fox News Digital reached out to HCPD for comment but did not receive a response.

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Beachgoers gather in the Cherry Grove section of North Myrtle Beach, SC on Saturday, May 29, 2021. (Jason Lee/The Sun News via AP)

Last year, the Palmetto State banned trucks with front fenders that were four or more inches higher than the rear fenders (the so-called Carolina Squat) because such vehicles posed a danger by obstructing the driver’s view.

Safety concerns related to patrol cars are not limited to South Carolina’s beaches.

A police sergeant in Florida ran over two 18-year-old women with a patrol car on Memorial Day in Daytona Beach, officials said. The two were sunbathing at the time and were taken to the hospital in stable condition.

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In 2020, a Florida sheriff’s deputy ran over a woman sunbathing on St. Pete Beach in Florida. (FOX 13 Tampa Bay)

In 2020, police in Indian Shores, Florida, pulled over a man lying on the beach listening to music on his cell phone. He survived after spending two weeks in intensive care.

That same year, a Florida sheriff’s deputy ran over a 23-year-old woman sunbathing on St. Pete Beach in Florida. She suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital.

Meanwhile, in 2019, a 30-year-old sunbather was injured when she was hit by a Los Angeles Police Department patrol car on Venice Beach, CBS Los Angeles reported.