Golf Cart Crashes in The Villages, FL - June 2012

Reprinted with permission from the Property Owners Association of The Villages monthly Bulletin:

These are recent reports (ONLY THOSE THAT INVOLVED EJECTION, FALLING OUT OF THE GOLF CART, AND/OR INJURIES are provided) that we have received from Villages residents, Public Safety, and area law enforcement. (Note: we cannot guarantee that the information we receive is completely accurate about all the details.)

April 16th – Vehicle 1 (golf cart) was traveling north on Morse Blvd in the golf cart lane near Navarro Ct. with Vehicle 2 (car). According to the driver of V1 she realized she was traveling in the wrong direction for her destination and decided to turn around and go the other way. She stated she stopped and looked for cars, turned left into the vehicle travel lane and was struck by V2. Golf cart driver was injured and transported to Villages Hospital. She was cited for violation of right of way.

April 17th – A crash occurred at the golf cart tunnel located at S. Morse Blvd. and Stillwater Trail involving a golf cart and a bicyclist who was injured. The bicyclist was northbound entering the tunnel area of the cart path when a golf cart turned in front of her attempting to go through the tunnel. She was unable to stop and struck the cart in the side causing her to fall. She received abrasions to her face, arms and legs. She was ambulatory, but she was transported to The Villages Hospital for further medical attention.

April 28th – A male golf cart operator turned left into the path of an oncoming vehicle at the intersection of Avenida and Oak Meadows. He was ejected from the golf cart and found lying in the middle of the road. He could not remember what happened after the impact. Because of his memory loss, a laceration to the head and other trauma, he was ‘trauma alerted’ and flown to Orlando Regional Hospital. The golf cart driver was cited for failure to yield.

May 2nd – Both subjects were driving their golf carts on the golf cart path at the intersection of S. Talley Ridge and Buena Vista Boulevard. V1 was on the Tally Ridge path eastbound while V2 was on the Buena Vista path southbound. As V2 turned right onto the Talley Ridge path, V1 turned left onto the Buena Vista path cutting the corner too short and collided with the front of V2. The driver of V1 suffered injuries to her face when the windshield of her vehicle came loose and struck her. She was transported to The Villages Hospital. As this occurred on private property, no traffic crash report was done and no citations were issued.

May 18th - A car T-boned a golf cart. Vehicle 1 (V1) was traveling westbound on Southern Star Way approaching the intersection of St. Charles Place. Vehicle 2 (V2) – golf cart - entered the intersection via the northbound golf cart lane. V1 did not stop at the stop sign for her traffic lane and the left front of her vehicle collided with right side of V2. The passenger of V2 was partially ejected and sustained serious injuries to her lower extremities during the collision. She was trauma flighted to Orlando Regional. The driver of V2 sustained lacerations to his head and was transported to The Villages Hospital. The driver of V1 did not sustain any injuries and was cited for failure to stop at a stop sign.

Golf cart crash incident reports from residents who were involved in a crash:

March 18th – I was a passenger when I was involved in an accident on the cart path going south on Morse Boulevard at about 10 PM. My husband was driving and slowed down and hugged the right side of the path as he saw a golf cart coming through the tunnel from the opposite direction. All of a sudden the other cart hit our cart head on, on the drivers side. I was thrown forward into the rear view mirror and windshield, then I came backward and was thrown out of the cart on the passenger side onto the grass. Police were called and I was taken to the hospital by ambulance. I received five staples on my head and cuts above my eye. I also injured my knee. The driver of the other car said he was sorry, that he had only put his head down for a second. Now I wear a seat belt and shoulder strap whenever I’m in the cart. I never would have thought that someone could get hurt or even killed going at such a slow speed. I just cringe and want to yell at other golf cart drivers when I see them letting babies and toddlers sit on their laps in the front seats of their carts. I think it should be a law that all golf carts should have seat belts and all passengers must use them.

April 24th - My wife was involved in a golf cart accident @ 3:21PM in front of Riley Grove starter shack on the recreation trail by Buena Vista. She was traveling south when struck in the rear by a cart driven from the grass strip. The description on the accident report says the driver was southbound when the passenger’s hat blew off. He pulled to the right side, retrieved the hat, and attempted to re-enter southbound traffic. My wife was struck in the passenger side rear wheel, causing the cart to flip over on the driver’s side. She was ejected onto the roadway. Fire department people were first there and took her to The Villages Emergency Room. She had no broken bones, but cuts and abrasions on head, arms, hip, legs, and feet. The cart appears totaled.

No Comments »