News13 on patrol: A look at Grand Strand beach safety after Myrtle Beach woman’s death

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — It’s been nearly a month since 66-year-old nurse Sandra “Sandy” Schultz-Peters was struck and killed by an Horry County Police Department full-sized pickup as she was enjoying an afternoon at the beach.

The Myrtle Beach woman’s death quickly led to calls for reform by state lawmakers, and had Grand Strand public safety agencies reviewing their own protocols to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.

Schultz-Peters was killed by Schultz-Peters was killed by Lance Cpl. Julian “Duke” Brown after he pulled onto the Nash Street Public Beach Access at about 1 p.m. on June 13 in a full-sized 2020 Ford Ranger beach patrol truck.

News13’s reporters this week fanned out to beaches across the region, speaking with visitors, law enforcement and elected officials to get an idea of how Peters’ death has affected change.

Our investigation comes at the height of summer tourism season — which drives the area’s roughly 19 million annual visitors and $11.5 billion economic impact.

Here’s what we found.

Myrtle Beach reevaluating vehicle policies on city beaches

In response to the incident, city officials said they plan to add exterior cameras and object detection sensors to the front of trucks, complimenting devices already installed on their back ends.

Within city limits, officials said that the beaches will remain having UTVs, four-wheelers and compacted pick up trucks (Ford Rangers, Chevrolet Colorado’s and Nissan Frontiers) during the daytime and congested hours.

Officials said beach pickup trucks are an important and lifesaving asset to beach public safety crews with having lifesaving equipment required by the United States Lifesaving Association that can only fit on trucks.

Safety at work on the sands of North Myrtle Beach means full-sized vehicles are part of the job

Monty Reed, manager of the city’s beach patrol unit , said his team is responsible for a nine-mile radius that’s covered in two-person shifts.

Over the course of 12-hour workdays, they look for swimmers in danger, animals in the water and other hazards, driving Ford F-150s and Toyota Tacomas.

Reed said ATVs are used often, but the full-sized vehicles give crews enough space to store lifesaving equipment in what he dubs a “mobile command center.”

The city’s vehicles are now required to ride with their emergency lights on, while on the beach, and officials are also looking into other camera options.

Beachgoers happy to see fewer trucks on Horry County beaches after woman’s death

In Horry County, many beachgoers all shared the same concerns when it comes to trucks driving along the shores. They said changes are necessary following Shultz-Peters’ death.

“You have people that are here relaxing and probably taking a nap and not paying attention to their surroundings,” Myrtle Beach resident Darrell Banks said. “If anything, they should turn their lights on or use some kind of horn to let people know they are accessing the beach.”

Many people said they were happy to see fewer trucks on the beach, however, they did notice more cones set up.

“When I first came in and saw the cones, I figured it was a safety precaution, which is great,” vacationer Audrey Heath said. “That’s really great, especially given that when you’re riding the truck, I’m assuming they’re paying more attention to the people. So, you know, it gives them a guide to be cautious about their surroundings.”

Surfside Beach reviewing patrol guidelines after Peters’ death

Over the next couple of weeks, Surfside Beach officials said they’ll be looking at their protocols for patrolling the beach to see if there are areas to improve.

One Surfside Beach family said beach safety rules are important, but so is reminding yourself or your child of them every day.

There’s a sand road to the left of the Surfside Beach pier specifically for emergency vehicles to gain access. Along the access, there are cones, metals signs, and paint on each side of the pier’s pillars to alert beachgoers to “keep clear.”

“Surfside Beach rarely uses a pickup truck on the beach,” Mayor Robert Krouse said. “We use the side-by-side ATVs for our routine patrols. Pickup trucks are used only when they’re needed for a specific job.”

Krouse said their ocean rescue team monitors the beach throughout the day, riding from the Holiday Inn on 16th Avenue North to Melody Lane.

Wrongful death suit filed in weeks after Schultz-Peters’ death

A wrongful death complaint filed June 28 in Horry County Common Pleas Court depicts the harrowing final moments of Peters’ life. Her estate is suing the county’s police department on grounds of negligence and lax supervision.

The lawsuit also includes allegations that Brown previously ran over beach chairs and other personal belongings on the beach multiple times before the June 13 incident.

“The Horry County Police Department’s Beach Patrol’s tolerance for its officers running over beachgoers with full-sized motor vehicles should be exactly 0.00%,” W. Coleman Lawrimore, an attorney with Conway-based Derrick Law Firm, wrote. “…an infinite array of solutions existed that would completely eliminate the possibility that an Horry County beachgoer would experience a greater than 0.00% chance of a Beach Patrol officer running them over with a full-sized motor vehicle.”

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