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Man Killed in Golf Cart Accident...

NickH

NickH

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Not sure if this is the right forum, but it's definitely a news story you don't see every day (thankfully!)

This happened at my hometown course this afternoon, unbelievable and sad. This hole is very steep, including the cart path. I can't imagine what the driver and the others he was playing with are going through.

http://www.wmtw.com/news/golf-cart-crash-kills-1-in-berwick/27987886
 
My former boss had a nephew die in a cart crash. Was a sad time, and my boss was never the same again ... took a bit out of him.


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Oh my... How sad and horrific.
 
Wow that is sad. Hopefully they take measures to ensure its not as easy to lose control. I've seen my fair share of flipped golf carts in my time working at a course, it's no laughing matter.
 
Sad story. It's interesting they are drawing blood to check blood/alcohol.

How many of these stories will occur before on course while driving rules change for alcohol?
 
Wow, that is tragic. Amazing how quickly something like this can happen.
 
I played on a course in Knoxville recently with very steep hills on a rainy day. We lost control several times and were extremely lucky to be able to guide the cart to a somewhat-safe stop. At one point I thought we were going through a guard rail down a 20-foot drop. Keep in mind that we were not drinking and were going as slow as we possibly could. What happened was the auto-brakes on the cart kept engaging, causing it to slide.
 
I can't imagine what the driver of the cart is going through right now - I assume the passenger was the guy killed & they were friends.
 
Canadan said:
Sad story. It's interesting they are drawing blood to check blood/alcohol.

How many of these stories will occur before on course while driving rules change for alcohol?
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To my knowledge the laws for OVI/DUI are the same on public roads or private property, it does take more justification for an officer to get involved on private property than if your on a roadway.
 
Sad to hear. I've never been thrown out of a cart, but I've had some close calls.
 
Very tragic story and my prayers go out to the young man's family.
 
golfinFF said:
To my knowledge the laws for OVI/DUI are the same on public roads or private property, it does take more justification for an officer to get involved on private property than if your on a roadway.
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I don't believe that to be the case here, but I would imagine the BAC would come into play if any sort of negligence charges were filed. I do know that they reconstructed the accident just as they would any fatal OHRV (ATV/Snowmobile) accident, including using the Maine Warden Service (with Northwoods Law crew in tow). In motor vehicle/OHRV fatals blood tests are standard for all occupants. It's such a rare type of accident I don't know that there are any specific laws or protocols for golf course incidents.
 
Sad story!!! Have you ever googled golf cart crash test? They show you how unsafe carts really are, especially if you run into something. I'm surprised with all the alcohol there aren't mire
 
I don't mean to sound heartless here but how exactly do you roll a golf cart without alcohol or negligence involved?
 
I almost did it a couple years ago and it scared the sh$# out of me. Coming over a hill that I'd gone down a bunch of times and hit some dew, pumped the break, and the next thing you know I was doing donuts down the hill.
 
That is absolutely tragic. The guy driving will probably never be the same. I have seen a good number of golf cart accidents involving hills and slippery terrain. A somber reminder that literally anything can happen at any time and to be cautious.
 
If any of you have played Wolf Creek in Mesquite NV, they make you sign a waiver to even drive a cart on that course because of the steep slopes and cliffs that the cart path follows. From what the starter told us, 5 people have died while playing due to cart accidents.
 
JRod said:
I don't mean to sound heartless here but how exactly do you roll a golf cart without alcohol or negligence involved?
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As I said in my previous post, conditions can make it quite easy to do.

Rain on a steep path and the "auto-brake" feature of many carts can cause the wheels to lock and the cart to slide no matter how careful you are trying to be. My boss and I nearly lost control 4 times trying to get back to the clubhouse at one course. We were not drinking and we were not going too fast. Most scared I've ever been in a golf cart. I truly thought we were going over a 20-foot drop at one point.

I do think that courses who have situations that can become dangerous should invest in different tires with more tread for their golf carts, but obviously it'd be a tough sell to convince a course to spend tens of thousands of dollars for the few times a year it's a problem.
 
wadesworld said:
As I said in my previous post, conditions can make it quite easy to do.

Rain on a steep path and the "auto-brake" feature of many carts can cause the wheels to lock and the cart to slide no matter how careful you are trying to be. My boss and I nearly lost control 4 times trying to get back to the clubhouse at one course. We were not drinking and we were not going too fast. Most scared I've ever been in a golf cart. I truly thought we were going over a 20-foot drop at one point.

I do think that courses who have situations that can become dangerous should invest in different tires with more tread for their golf carts, but obviously it'd be a tough sell to convince a course to spend tens of thousands of dollars for the few times a year it's a problem.
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Wholeheartedly agree with this statement. I know a couple of the courses that I have played that are more hilly (not many around me in Central FL) are cart path only if the ground is wet or on holes with steeper fairways. Those that weren't were like a roller coaster when the hills got wet and the carts could spin around with little assistance needed by the driver.
 
My likfe passed before my eyes earlier this season in a cart. I was riding the cart path on a hole where the path is elevated and pull down into the fairway at your ball. Well the grass was wet and as I pulled down into the fairway and ended up doing an out of control skid 720. All it would have taken was a wheen to dig and I would have rolled.
 
very sad new indeed.

Some talk of alcohol going on here. And whether or not alcohol is involved it sure is possible to lose control of a golf cart (even when alcohol free) for many reason already mentioned. One or two more of those reasons could be some ignorance about your current immediate surroundings while driving, and also being in a relaxed atmosphere such as golf is, one may at times fail to pay the proper full attention to his current immediate surroundings. And never expecting such a thing to ever happen can itself lead to even more of a relaxed state with less awareness for than required.

So it certainly can happen. But with that said there should without a doubt be alcohol guidelines for driving a cart. All the reasons including mine for how this could happen whil sober all become even much more of a problem when under any influence from anything. The decision making becomes less responsible, the reaction times become less than adequate, the decisions for how to react as something is currently happening becomes less rational. Every single thing that makes driving a car more dangerous when under any influence is exactly the same for a golf cart. Not even to mention all that is bad about it is putting those around you at more risk too.
 
Wow.

I used to live in Stoughton MA. and I played many times at Outlook when I lived in New Hampshire.

I know there are a few steep areas around the course but this is a real tragedy.
 
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