By Kirk R. Davis, D.O.
“I was just driving the golf cart and reached down to pick up my golf ball, and when I looked up there was the edge of the bridge. Before I knew it, I was teetering on the edge with a split-second to decide whether to let the cart fall on top of me or to jump. I jumped and when I hit the slippery rocks six feet below I felt my right ankle give out and saw my foot pointing out to the side. I knew then it was bad.”
This event is what happened to a recent patient of mine who was kind enough to let me share his story in order to educate others about the “hazards” of golf.
Unfortunately his story is not as uncommon as one would believe. A brief trip through our office led to stories of our patients and friends who have had mishaps on golf carts. One patient had his leg hanging out of the cart when it was crushed between two carts causing an open (compound) fracture. Another patient was reaching out to pick up a ball when the driver braked throwing her out of the cart fracturing her spine, requiring surgical placement of rods to stabilize her spine. While, another got her shoelace tangled around the gas pedal causing her to go in fast circles until she was thrown out of the cart and knocked unconscious and injuring her back. A friend of our office was fortunate enough to have been saved by other golfers when his cart was going down hill increasingly faster until it rolled over into a water hazard and on top of him! The final story is of an individual helping at a triathlon and fell off the back of a golf cart in a parking lot striking his head and eventually dying.
The danger of golf carts has been published in Bald Head Island, North Carolina where the ambulance call record revealed that 22 cases in which most injuries were from individuals falling out of the cart. Alcohol was implicated in 40 percent of the accidents. Dr. Kelly of Pittsburgh wrote an article of 111 golf cart injuries states that a majority of the injuries and as a result of driving with a foot or leg out of the cart catching the foot on the turf or hitting an obstacle. All of the deaths he reported were due to overturning of the cart which weigh from 600 to 800 pounds.
The following safety recommendations can be made for golf cart users. Care should be taken while driving down slopes to not turn the wheels. Beware of hidden water hazards and sand traps to prevent driving into them and overturning the cart. Observe course regulations and use paved cart paths especially during wet conditions. Responsible use of alcohol could lead to a decrease in injury occurrence. Observing these recommendations can make your next golf outing enjoyable and free of “hazards.”