Golf Cart Crashes in 2012 - 2013 in The Villages, Florida

2012-2013 Golf Cart Related Fatalities And Serious Injuries In The Villages THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST TWELVE GOLF CART RELATED FATALITIES in The Villages in the last SIX YEARS. The POA has made an effort to identify golf cart related accidents in The Villages which have resulted in death or serious injuries. Neither the Florida Highway Patrol nor local law enforcement departments keep statistics on golf cart related crashes. Therefore, the POA is trying to make residents aware of the potential dangers that can face both golf cart drivers and passengers, be they on the golf cart trails or the roadways shared with automobiles and trucks. Each month, starting with the February 2012 Bulletin (you can find all of them on the poa4us.org web page - click on "archived bulletins), we have included a listing of all of the accidents (with as much description as we had available) that we were aware of, and identified that almost all of them involved either someone falling out of a cart, or being ejected from the cart onto the pavement. OUR MESSAGE IS THAT WE BELIEVE YOU MIGHT BE SAFER IF YOU USE A SEAT BELT, but the usage of seat belts in golf carts is not required by Florida Statutes so it is your choice. In the last two years we have had: Two known FATALITIES, both of whom were golf cart passengers who fell out of or off of a moving golf cart; Twenty-two golf cart occupants who were EJECTED FROM their golf cart that had to be etrauma alertedf to Shands, Orlando Regional or Ocala Regional Trauma Centers because of the severity of their injuries. (We have no knowledge as to whether any of these life threatening injuries resulted in an eventual fatality); One golf cart occupant who fell out of the golf cart that had to be etrauma alertedf to Ocala; Twenty golf cart occupants who were EJECTED FROM their golf cart who had injuries serious enough that they were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital; Twenty-three golf cart occupants who fell out of a golf cart who had injuries serious enough that they were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital; NONE OF THEM WERE WEARING A SEAT BELT! One golf cart occupant who was using a seat belt advised us gcMy left leg was pinned between the road and the golf cart causing compound fractures and abrasions to my lower left leg. I was transported to LMC for treatment and surgery. I am of the opinion that had I not been wearing a seat-belt, it is likely I would not have survived the crash.h The POA has taken on the challenge of collecting information on golf cart incidents in The Villages and we are working with law enforcement, but we also need your help. We are asking any resident who is involved in or actually comes upon the scene of a golf cart crash (no second hand reports, please) where there appears to be ejections, injuries or fatalities to email us (poa4us@hotmail.com) or send us at POA ATTN Golf Carts, P.O. Box 386, Oxford, FL 34484, the following information: the date, approximate time and location of the golf cart crash or ejection, i.e., street address, trail location, or intersection. We can then contact the appropriate law enforcement office and get a report. It is our intention to continue to provide monthly reports in the Bulletin as well as to retain a data base that would be put on our website. Thank you in advance for assisting us in this project. STAY ALERT!!!---STAY ALIVE!!!  

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