One of the most popular ways to get around in Jacksonville, Florida, is by golf cart. Once known only for their use on golf courses, golf carts are now commonplace even on city streets and public highways. Carts are often driven by users around their neighborhoods and even for trips to the store and elsewhere.
Golf carts are fun and easy to use, but people often ignore the dangers associated with golf carts in Jacksonville, FL. Florida has seen a large increase in golf cart accidents and injuries in recent years due to their prevalence and lack of proper use by drivers. If a golf cart user fails to use proper care and caution and injures another person as a result, they can be held legally responsible for the damages. A Jacksonville golf cart accident lawyer can help injured victims recover financially in these situations.
Contact our attorneys at Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers at (904) 396-1100 for a free consultation with a Jacksonville golf cart accident attorney after a Florida golf cart accident.
How Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Florida Golf Cart Accident
Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers is here for you after a Florida golf cart accident. Our Jacksonville personal injury lawyers have recovered tens of millions of dollars for accident victims. With over 80 years of combined experience, our legal team is prepared to use our vast resources and skills for you.
When you hire our Jacksonville golf cart accident attorneys, we can do the following for you:
- Conduct an investigation
- Discuss your legal options
- Identify who could be liable for your injuries
- Communicate with the insurance company
- Negotiate for a fair settlement
- Represent you in court
Contact our law office in Jacksonville, Florida, to learn more about how we can help you after a Florida golf cart accident.
Who Can be Responsible for a Golf Cart Accident in Florida?
Determining fault in a Florida golf cart accident can be complicated. An experienced golf cart accident attorney can evaluate the crash and develop a theory of legal liability depending on who was involved. In some situations, one or more individuals can be held responsible.
The Golf Cart Driver
If a passenger, pedestrian, or other driver is injured in an accident, the negligent driver can be responsible for damages. Some acts implicating the driver might include running stop signs, using a phone while driving, or driving a golf cart while intoxicated. These are just some of the common causes of golf cart accidents in Florida.
The Golf Cart Owner
Owners can be liable for golf cart accidents due to negligence in maintaining the vehicle or entrusting the cart to other people. For example, if a golf cart has faulty brakes, tires, or headlights, it should not be on the road until those problems are fixed.
Letting others drive an unsafe golf cart can put the owner in legal jeopardy. The same is true if the golf cart owner lets an inexperienced, unsafe, or intoxicated driver use their golf cart. If an accident happens in that situation, the owner can be required to pay for the victim’s damages.
The Golf Cart Driver’s Parents
If a parent allows a child to operate a golf cart and someone is injured as a result, the child may not be held legally liable, but the parents can. Someone injured by a child driving a golf cart can take legal action against the parents and pursue a claim for damages after a golf cart accident.
The Golf Cart Driver’s Employer
If someone driving a golf cart as part of their employment injures another person or passenger, their employer can be held liable under Florida law for the driver’s negligence.
The Golf Cart Manufacturer
If an accident is caused by a manufacturing defect in the golf cart, the manufacturer can be liable under Florida’s product liability law. Examples of manufacturing defects can include electrical issues, faulty tires, or malfunctioning brakes. In some of these cases, proof of negligence is not required, and the manufacturer can be held strictly liable for a victim’s injuries.
The Driver of Another Vehicle in the Collision
If a car, SUV, truck, or motorcycle collides with a golf cart, that driver can be responsible for damages. Florida law allows golf carts and other low-speed vehicles (LSVs) to operate on nearly any roadway where the posted speed limit is 30 MPH or less. This puts thousands of golf carts on the same streets as cars, trucks, and other large vehicles and potentially negligent drivers.
How to Prove Negligence in a Florida Golf Cart Accident
As with other vehicle accidents, determining responsibility and proving negligence means gathering evidence and answering key questions surrounding a crash. At times, this will involve police reports, witness statements, and even forensic investigations of the crash.
Some critical questions a golf cart accident will seek answers to include:
- Who was driving the golf cart?
- Who owned the golf cart? What was their connection to the driver?
- Who manufactured the golf cart?
- Was the golf cart defective in any way? Did it cause the accident?
- Was the golf cart driven by a child or an adult?
- Was the golf cart maintained adequately?
- Did road conditions contribute to the accident?
- Did another vehicle contribute to the accident?
- Was there something the victim could have done to avoid their injuries?
Evidence that can be used in a golf cart accident investigation can include physical evidence from the scene, photos and video surveillance, engineering reports, weather data, cell phone records, maintenance records, and eyewitness testimony. Increasingly, social media posts and videos can also be used to find liability after a golf cart crash.
Proving negligence in court requires the plaintiff to show each of the following elements:
- That the golf cart driver or other driver had a duty of care to the victim of an accident. In other words, that they had a responsibility to drive safely and with consideration for others.
- That the other driver breached their duty or failed to use proper care and caution.
- That the other driver’s actions caused the victim’s injuries, and a causal link can be established between the two.
- That the victim suffered damages as a result. Damages can be economic (medical bills, lost wages, etc.) or non-economic (pain and suffering or mental anguish, for example).
An experienced Florida golf cart accident lawyer will be able to collect all available evidence to aggressively pursue your personal injury claim or lawsuit.
Contact Our Jacksonville Golf Cart Accident Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
With the increased popularity and use of golf carts on Jacksonville, Florida’s roads and trails, accidents and injuries will happen. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Florida golf cart accident, our legal team can help you recover financially for your injuries. Don’t hesitate to call today and schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced Jacksonville golf cart accident attorneys today at Baggett Law Personal Injury Lawyers.
