Incident at Black Pearl Heritage and Bicycle Festival
Early Sunday morning, at least 19 individuals were assessed for injuries during a crowded event at the Black Pearl Heritage and Bicycle Festival in Atlantic Beach, South Carolina.
Emergency services responded around 1:05 a.m. to reports of a stampede near the stage on South Ocean Boulevard. Fortunately, the injuries did not seem to be life-threatening, according to Horry County Fire Rescue.
“With help from law enforcement at the scene, we evaluated 19 patients,” Horry County Fire Rescue noted. “Three people were transported to the hospital with injuries, while others may have gone to local hospitals on their own.”
The volume of injuries led authorities to classify the situation as a multi-casualty incident, a term that helps coordinate emergency responses when several individuals need care.
The city indicated that the chaos started when someone began running, causing a “brief chain reaction” among the crowd that only lasted a couple of seconds.
The town expressed its condolences to those harmed, indicating that all situations leading to harm are taken seriously, and they are wishing for recovery for those affected.
Law enforcement and emergency teams were already present at the event and acted quickly to manage the situation. They treated injured attendees right at the venue before normal festival activities resumed.
According to town officials, there were no known fights, weapons, or direct threats to safety during the incident.
Throughout the festival, several crowd control measures had been implemented. These included temporarily halting traffic entering Atlantic Beach on both Friday and Saturday nights.
While any incident like this is unfortunate, the town emphasized that this isolated moment shouldn’t overshadow the success of the festival, which has been celebrated for over four decades and continues to attract visitors nationwide due to the positive experiences it offers.
Officials have stated they will keep investigating the incident alongside public safety partners to explore potential improvements for future events.
The Black Pearl Heritage and Bike Festival is a Memorial Day weekend bike rally that reportedly attracts over 400,000 attendees, often coinciding with broader Memorial Day weekend festivities in the Myrtle Beach area.
A spokesperson for Horry County Fire and Rescue mentioned there were no additional updates available at this time.
