Freak accident flips boat, kills three near Georgetown

Update February 23: The child is still in critical condition. Read more.

First reporting:

On Wednesday night, six people boarded a small craft on a windy, rainy night to make a short journey to their rural home on the bridge-less Sandy Island near Myrtle Beach. -- Just moments away from their destination, the craft would flip and send the six -- all of whom could not swim -- into the frigid water.

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Waccamaw High School senior Rishard Pyatt, 18, his cousin Shaquatia Robinson, 19, and her mother, Lou Ann Robinson, 47, would all die in the accident. A 9-month old infant was airlifted to the Medical University of South Carolina; the infant is said to be in critical condition.

The water was believed to be 54 degrees at the time of the accident.

Boat access is the only way onto the island as the residents have fought proposed bridges for fear that they would be a gateway to development.

It's, obviously, a very touching story.

The Post and Courier probably has the best roundup piece on the issue, while Myrtle Beach Online has a great photo gallery, and a solid locator map, in addition to several stories on the accident and community's reaction.

One notable addition to all that the body of Rishard Pyatt has been recovered.

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