Update: Family identifies woman killed in boating accident near Little River island
A woman has died after apparently jumping off a beached boat in Little River.
Family members who reached out to The Sun News identified the woman as Kelly O’Brien, who moved to Myrtle Beach about a year and half ago. The former Yonkers, New York, woman was a cook at the VFW Post 10420 in Murrells Inlet.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said officers were notified of a possible boating accident in Horry County near Bird Island in Little River on Sunday, June 22, 2025.
Initial reports are that the woman jumped off the boat and sustained a heady injury that resulted in her death.
Rescue workers had difficulty getting to the woman because of mechanical issues with the swing bridge.
South Carolina Department of Transportation was notified Sunday that the Little River Swing Bridge was experiencing mechanical issues due to extremely high temperatures, making the bridge unable to open for marine traffic, according to an email Monday from Hannah Robinson, SCDOT media relations manager.
Horry County crews were unable to get to the accident and had to reach out to Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department for assistance.
Horry County Fire Rescue spokesperson Tony Casey said Monday that he could not provide information on the accident. Emily Flax, public information officer with Brunswick County Sheriff’s Department, said by text that officers assisted Horry County with the water rescue.
The sheriff’s department posted on its Facebook page that Air One responded to a water rescue near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, guiding its Marine Patrol Unit to the victim, which then transported the person to Horry County EMS.
According to an incident report, Horry County Fire Rescue crews were dispatched about 3:30 p.m. for a medical emergency and the boat could not get through the bridge. Sunset Beach, North Carolina, Fire was requested for both land and sea backup, the report said.
North Myrtle Beach ocean rescue was able to make contact with the victim and transfer the woman to Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office marine patrol. The woman was then taken to Windjammer dock where Horry County EMS was able to transport her, the report said.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 10:51 AM.
