Most residents of the Santa Fe area are aware that motor vehicle accidents can result in serious and deadly personal injuries, as can trucking collisions, bicycle accidents, pedestrian collisions, and motorcycle crashes. Yet the frequency of golf cart accidents, and the rate at which they result in personal injuries, is less commonly known. According to an article in Family Safety & Health Magazine, which is a publication of the National Safety Council (NSC), golf cart injuries occur with much more frequency than most people think. It is critical to understand why and how golf cart accidents happen and to take precautions to avoid serious injuries in a collision.
Learning More About Golf Cart Accident Injuries
As the article explains, although golf carts might seem relatively innocuous since they cannot travel at anywhere near the speeds of a motor vehicle, these vehicles actually carry “considerable risk of injury and morbidity to drivers and passengers of all ages, especially kids and older adults.” That information comes from a recent study conducted by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The research involved analysis of data from 2007-2017 from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. That data reveals that more than 156,000 people were treated for golf cart injuries in emergency departments during that time period, which averages to more than 15,000 injuries each year. And that number does not include personal injuries that did not require treatment in a hospital or other type of emergency room.
The most common type of serious injury in golf cart accidents is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Children sustain TBIs in golf cart accidents at much higher rates than adults—at “more than three times the rate incurred by adults.” Indeed, kids have a TBI rate of 1.6 per 100,000 in golf cart accidents, while adults have a TBI rate of 0.5 per 100,000. Seniors, or those adults over the age of 65, do not sustain brain injuries at the same rate as children but are at much greater risk than younger adults. Moreover, the data used in the study shows that the injury rate for older adults has been climbing significantly. Indeed, “the overall injury rate among older adults climbed to nearly 8.1 per 100,000 in 2017,” which is “a 67.6% increase” since 2007.
Why Are Golf Carts So Dangerous?
Since golf carts travel at relatively low speeds, it might come as a surprise that golf cart accidents so frequently result in serious personal injuries. What makes golf carts so dangerous? The article points to the fact that “golf carts traditionally lack safety features such as safety belts, doors, mirrors, and lights.” As a result, golf cart injuries can vary widely depending upon the particular circumstances—from falls out of the golf cart to hitting a head or body part inside the golf cart to a collision with an automobile.
The NSC says the following are the most common types of injuries in golf cart accidents:
- Lacerations;
- Strains;
- Fractures; and
- Traumatic brain injuries.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Santa Fe
Do you have questions about filing a personal injury lawsuit after a golf cart crash or another type of accident? Our Santa Fe personal injury attorneys can help. Contact Slate Stern Law to learn more about how we can assist you.