I determine the risk level to be significant.
My research states that from 1990 to 2006, approximately 147,700 people were treated in emergency rooms for injuries relating to golf carts. Interestingly enough, numbers are only going up. In 1990, 5,772 people went to the emergency room. In 2006, 13,411 people were treated. Falls from golf carts are the most reported problem. If a person falls from a golf cart and hits their head, the consequences can be catastrophic. In the summer of 2008, a Chicago man fell from a golf cart driven by a course employee at Indian Lakes Resort and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. If you are tasked with driving the golf cart, take this responsibility seriously. Do not drive to fast, and take into consideration the weather and terrain. Brake carefully and slowly, especially on slopes. And always slow down for turns. Finally, remind other passengers to keep arms and legs inside the cart at all times, and never engage in horseplay.
Please go to my research link:
http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/golf-course-accidents-injuries-from-golf-balls-golf-clubs-and-golf-carts
If a reckless driver causes a golf cart accident, an injured passenger can be compensated by the driver’s homeowner insurance policy. Other golfers who are hit by the cart can also file a claim for negligent driving. There may also be dram shop liability if the driver was served too much alcohol.
http://www.azrichlaw.com/practice-areas/premises-liability/golf-course-accidents/
A study done by Gerald McGwin associate director of research at the Center for Injury Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and published in the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection and Critical Care, states conservatively there are about 1,000 golf cart injuries per month in the United States. Roughly half of these accidents occurred on golf courses.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1213085734222891.xml&coll=2
The likelihood of someone getting hurt on our golf course is quite likely and the consequences are at least moderate which can lead to significant consequences.
Manson boy hurt in golf cart accident: “A 15-year-old Manson boy was flown to a Seattle trauma center Tuesday night after he was thrown from a golf cart and showed signs of a possible skull fracture, authorities said…. He was riding in a golf cart with a friend at the Lake Chelan Municipal Golf Course, when the friend drove down a steep hill near the 18th hole and turned left, causing Lolos to fall out of the cart…” The Wenatchee World, June 23, 2010
There are roughly 15,000 golf cart related accidents requiring emergency room treatment in the United States each year. The majority of these accidents are related to either braking, cart rollover or passenger ejection. These problems are common to golf carts due to their open design, lack of seatbelts, poor braking capabilities and the uneven terrains they are driven on. Although industry standards prohibit golf carts from exceeding a maximum speed of 15 mph, rollovers and ejections still occur due to sharp turns, steep inclines, mechanical failures and driver error. In addition, most golf carts are equipped with mechanical rear brakes only (instead of four wheel brakes like cars), significantly limiting their stopping ability.
What Are Some Injuries The Owner Of A Golf Course May Be Liable For?
Golf cart injuries: Liability to a course's owner arises from improper maintenance of the golf cart or failure to repair a dangerous condition of the course on which it is used.
If I Am Injured On A Golf Course, Do I Need A Personal Injury Attorney?
A personal injury lawyer will be able to evaluate the seriousness of your injury, the degree of negligence of the golf course, and the likelihood that you will be able to recover for you claim. If you are injured while driving a golf cart rented from the course on its grounds you should contact an attorney for advice on your claim.
We all have a common sense about what negligence is, but the official Black’s Law Dictionary (8th edition 2004) definition is:“The failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised in a similar situation; any conduct that falls below the legal standard established to protect others against unreasonable risk of harm. …”
Call to Action: The last thing any golf course wants is an injury to their members or customers. The golf course needs to take golf cart injuries more seriously. The increase in lawsuits in Canada for personal injuries requires a more diligent effort on behalf of the golf course owners. A signed waiver or informed consent and a back shop employee explaining golf cart operation at the pro shop before the golf cart is issued to the golfers using the golf cart (include driver and passenger), before teeing off on the first tee the Starter will go over some golf cart fundamentals and rules plus any issues on the golf course that may be prevalent at the time such as cart path only and golf cart out of bounds markers. The Marshall or Play Coordinators that patrol the golf course to monitor golfers driving golf carts as well as their other duties. This will not eliminate all of the golf cart accidents but will go a long way in eliminating quite a few of them.
By Dean Bezanson
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