Golf carts are everywhere in Florida. The state probably has hundreds of thousands of golf carts. However, since they do not need registrations or license plates, you can only estimate the number based on what you see on golf courses, retirement communities, and gated communities.
Although they cannot go faster than 20 miles per hour, thousands of golf cart injuries happen every year across the U.S. What are some ways to be injured in a golf cart in Jacksonville, FL?
After collisions, rollovers, and other golf cart accidents, Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers can analyze liability and explain your options for injury compensation. Reach out today at (904) 396-1100 for a free case review to learn about your legal options.
How Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You Following a Golf Cart Accident In Jacksonville, FL
Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers has represented injured clients in Jacksonville, Florida, for over ten years. Our Jacksonville golf cart accident lawyers have over 80 years of combined legal experience representing accident victims against at-fault parties and their insurers. To date, we’ve recovered tens of millions for our clients.
After an accident caused by another’s actions, our attorneys provide the following legal services:
- A review of your case to evaluate your claim and present your options
- Preparation of your insurance claim and an aggressive strategy to settle it fairly
- Litigation against insurers who refuse to settle
Golf carts have no safety equipment to prevent serious injuries or deaths in an accident. Contact Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers to discuss your golf cart accident and how we can help you pursue fair injury compensation.
How Common Are Golf Cart Accident Injuries?
A query of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s database returns 17,488 injuries or deaths in golf cart accidents across the U.S. over the five years spanning 2018 through 2022. This gives a national average of about 3,500 golf cart accidents annually that injure or kill accident victims.
This number only includes injuries or deaths coded in emergency room reports as golf cart-related. Other studies give a number five to six times higher at about 18,000 injuries and deaths annually.
Florida does not publish golf cart crash numbers. In its annual Traffic Crash Facts report, the state groups golf carts with “Other” vehicles. Thus, this report does not give enough detail to determine the number of golf cart accidents in Florida.
5 Ways Golf Cart Injuries Happen
Golf cart injuries can happen in many ways, but these five are some of the most common.
Rollover
Golf carts have a narrow track between their left and right wheels. They also have a high center of gravity when carrying passengers. Some causes of rollovers include:
- Hills
- Rough or uneven terrain
- Sharp turns
When golf carts roll over, the occupants can fall out and suffer injuries in the fall. The golf cart can also crush them.
The liability for rollover crashes may lie with the driver of the cart. Road, golf course, and golf cart path designers might bear the liability for crashes that result from negligently designed driving surfaces.
Collision
Golf carts can collide with other carts or fixed objects while on golf cart paths or golf courses. Cars can hit carts when they drive on roads and in parking lots.
People riding in carts can suffer injuries, such as whiplash or concussions, in the collision. They can also suffer injuries if they fall from the cart or get ejected from the vehicle.
Falling
Most golf carts lack seat belts. Under Florida’s definition, golf carts must go slower than 20 miles per hour. This puts them outside the federal laws that require manufacturers to include seat belts and Florida’s laws that require drivers and passengers to wear them.
Riders can fall from golf carts at many times during operation, including:
- Turning
- Accelerating
- Hitting a bump
- Braking
Even at 20 miles per hour, falling from a vehicle can cause serious injuries such as broken bones and road rash.
Ejection
There is no bright line separating falling from ejection. The main difference is that an ejection happens when the cart collides with a fixed object, like a curb or another vehicle. Ejection is a simple consequence of physics. Your body keeps moving at the same speed after a collision as before.
Since golf carts do not include seat belts or a windshield, you can fly out instead of hitting something to keep you in. You fly through the air until something stops you. People who are ejected have a high risk of brain and spinal cord injuries when they fly head-first into something.
Mechanical Failure
Golf carts are fairly simple machines, but they can still break down. A malfunction in the brakes, steering, or suspension could cause an operator to lose control. A bad battery or electrical fault could cause a fire. The liability for equipment faults typically falls on the cart’s manufacturer.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Jacksonville Golf Cart Accident Lawyers
Golf cart accidents can cause disabling or fatal injuries, with children and seniors particularly vulnerable to these crashes. Contact Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers at (904) 396-1100 for a free consultation to discuss the golf cart accident injuries you or your loved one suffered. Our Jacksonville golf cart accident attorneys work for a contingency fee, so we only get attorney’s fees if we win compensation for you.
