Paralyzed man drowns in Myrtle Beach neighborhood pool, officials say
A man with a disability drowned in a neighborhood pool in The Market Common Monday morning, authorities said.
Christopher Skinner, 40, was found unresponsive in his neighborhood pool at the Emmens Preserve neighborhood in The Market Common district in Myrtle Beach. Skinner had been paralyzed from the neck down since he was 20, when a car crash involving a drunk driver severed his spinal cord and left him in a coma for 13 days.
He was taken from the pool at 1145 Yorkshire Parkway and transported to Grand Strand Medical Center, where he died about 12:40 p.m. of asphyxiation due to drowning, said Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard with the Horry County Coroner’s Office.
His death was ruled an accident, Willard said.
A Meal Train page was set up for people to donate meals to the Skinner family.
Monday afternoon, Emmens Preserve residents received a message stating the neighborhood pool, clubhouse, gym and playground would be closed until further notice “as a result of local and state investigations.”
A feature story published by Tidelands Health in 2018 detailed how Skinner was able to learn to drive using special equipment, including hand controls and a touchscreen pad installed in his minivan. Skinner often spoke to youth groups about overcoming adversity.
He even wrote a book about his hardships and triumphs, which published in 2004.
“I hope and pray that my determination to drive speaks volumes to my children. I went from lying flat on a table and blinking once for yes and twice for no to being able to take my children out for ice cream,” Skinner told Tidelands in 2018.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 10:56 AM.
