Should police trucks be on beach? One city made changes after Myrtle Beach, SC area death
Questions have been raised about why police trucks are driven on the beach and if there’s a need for them following the death of a beachgoer who was run over by an Horry County beach patrol vehicle while sitting on the beach.
Several beaches along the Grand Strand and in neighboring North Carolina use beach patrol trucks as part of their emergency and beach safety services.
But the June 13 death of Sandra “Sandy” Schultz-Peters now has two beach cities reconsidering how and when the trucks are used.
A vehicle being driven by Horry County Beach Patrol Beach Safety Director Julian “Duke” Brown struck Schultz-Peters, 66, on the beach near the Nash Street beach access, The Sun News reported. The Myrtle Beach woman later died at a hospital from her injuries.
Brown has been put on paid administrative leave and the South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
Following the death of Schultz-Peters, the city of Myrtle Beach has said it is exploring other safety options, including exterior cameras and object detection sensors on the vehicles, said city spokesperson Meredith Denari in an email Tuesday to The Sun News.
And Sunset Beach, North Carolina, has created restrictions for using full-size vehicles on the beach. Sunset Beach Police Chief Ken Klamar said he asked his officers to stop using full-size vehicles to patrol the beach during its peak season.
Sunset Beach, which is located across the border from South Carolina, can see up to 17,000 tourists during a busy day and 12,000 on a slow day during the summer, according to a 2016 land use study. It has a population of around 4,200, according to Census data.
In comparison, the Myrtle Beach area can see more than 17 million visitors each year, according to the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“If there’s anything I can do to prevent anyone being hurt here, I’m going to do it,” Klamar said.
When are vehicles allowed on the beach?
For civilians, motorized vehicles are never permitted on the beach, according to local laws.
Horry County, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach include exceptions for police and other government workers that may need access to the beach via truck or ATV.
The Sun News reached out to multiple municipalities who said they have a variety of vehicles they use on the beach, including pickups, utility task vehicles — also called UTVs or side-by-sides — or ATVs.
Many beach towns in the area have a designated emergency vehicle lane that is blocked off by cones, flags or another marker. This is the space dedicated for trucks to drive.
The area in which Schultz-Peters was hit did have an access lane for beach patrol vehicles that was marked by orange cones. Beachgoers are not allowed in those areas, according to the Horry County ordinance.
Why are beach trucks needed?
North Myrtle Beach uses its pickups on and off the beach “to deter crime and respond to medical emergencies,” said Officer Patrick Wilkinson, the North Myrtle Beach Police spokesperson.
Driving a truck on the beach can be risky, especially when considering pedestrian safety, but there is also a “high need” for the access trucks allow, said David Squires, the police chief in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Pickup trucks are useful for emergency situations, Klamar said. Emergencies can include transporting an injured person from the beach to the beach access where an ambulance can park or looking for a lost child.
Trucks also can carry important gear, such as flotation devices, medical aid kits and the tools needed for an ocean rescue.
In Myrtle Beach, truck drivers must have a “spotter” in the passenger seat, cannot drive more than 5 mph and can only make left turns, Denari said.
In order to drive on the beach, officers and ocean rescue employees will undergo training, said Klamar, Squires, Wilkinson, Denari and Horry County Police spokesperson Mikayla Moskov. This can look different at every agency, but it will include some hands-on training, as well as being trained on what to watch out for.
Klamar said field training in Sunset Beach includes learning how to operate vehicles on the sand and officers must take a course in order to use the UTVs and ATVs.
Another beachgoer hit four years ago
Another person was hit by an Horry County Police vehicle in 2020 in the Garden City area, The Sun News reported.
One person was taken to the hospital after an incident near Holly Avenue. According to police reports, the officer hit the person who was laying on the beach in Garden City. The officer told SCHP that he was entering the beach from a beach access point and didn’t see the woman due to trash cans obstructing his view, according to a 2020 story by WBTW.
Because of the two incidents, there have debates online about if police officers should be allowed to use full-size vehicles when on the beach.
Two legislators, William Bailey, R-Little River, and Tim McGinnis, R-Myrtle Beach, said they are looking at restricting full-size vehicle access on the beach, especially during the peak season, according to WBTW.
This story was originally published June 19, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
