Cart(s) accident yesterday
 

Anyone know what happened yesterday morning down towards Colony Cottage? Wife went to Public's and saw cart against a tree and someone laying on ground, ems personnel, firetruck etc. Hope no serious injuries...

Oh no. I know just the tree. I hope everyone is o.k.

According to today's newspaper two people were injured and taken to Leesburg Regional Hospital. Their golf cart ran into a tree. In cases like that the tree will always win. No names or conditions were released.

Accidents can happen so quickly ... the second your attention is focused somewhere other than driving. I sure wish that people wouldn't talk on cell phones when they're driving.

I hope that the people involved in this accident are OK and have been released from hospital.

There was another accident today at the intersection of Morse and the street that leads to Tierra Sol Country Club. I saw a man laying in the street and it looked like a really bad crash. I hope he is ok! Does anyone know about it?

It is a wonder we don't have a fatal golf cart wreck every day the way some of the people drive. I've never seen the like of people driving with their heads up their ...... well, you get the idea. There is a segment of TV that obviously doesn't fall in with those of us governed by rules and laws. "I don't have to stop at STOP signs", "I don't have to use turn or hand signals". "I don't have to look both ways before crossing the street -or- stepping off the curb", "I am special and the world revolves around me". If these people weren't so stupid TV would be a much better place for all of us. :rant-rave:

I think that accident today was bad ,I drove by right after it happened (the ambulance wasn't there yet) but the impact was so great that the batteries under the seat was completely visable and almost thrown out of the compartment that holds them. The passenger was also thrown out and lying on the street, I just hope he didn't have massive head wounds. I used to work in a rehab hospital head trauma unit and it was full of accident victims that were disabled for the rest of their lives,it was very sad! There needs to be a law for mandatory seat belts in golf carts.

I can only say that our prayers are with all of them. How very sad!

Blueeagle, I share your frustration. I also think it is a wonder we don't have more fatal golf cart wrecks with the way people drive. However I don't think people drive badly because they're stupid (although they certainly do stupid things), or because they think they're special and the world resolves around them.

Sadly, I think it is something that happens to all of us as we age. We become less aware of what is going on around us. Some people have hearing or vision problems. Many people that wouldn't consider driving a car still get in their golf carts and become hazards for the rest of us. They just don't see stop signs, and they just don't even think about signalling.

I think it is just the way things are in The Villages. Those of us who are younger just have to watch out for bad drivers, assume the worst, and drive defensively. I've had many close calls with both cart and car, and it is very scary. My rule is .. when you see another driver .. assume they're going to do something incredibly stupid. In many cases you'll be right.

I totally agree, blueeagle65!

And I see in the paper this morning there was another one. This one involved 2 carts, and sent 3 folks to the hospital. One was heading south on Morse, the other turning onto Morse from side street. Both probably chatting away, paying no attention to traffic.

I believe many think that in a cart things are slower, and because of that they don't pay as close attention as they should. It only takes a split second to make the wrong (or no) decision...and the result can be catastrophic. Hopefully these people didn't have life-threatening injuries.

Pay attention out there folks!

Any word on the people involved in the cart accidents yesterday and today?

My prayers are with them.

I am fairly new to The Villages but have had several close calls with drivers, both in cars and carts, who pull up to a stop sign, stop, and then start right up again...they do not turn their heads and look left or right. Maybe they are so old their necks don't turn any more, or maybe they think that because they stopped they are obeying the law. I suspect it's the former. Maybe we can make people aware that this is a problem, which probably comes with age, and perhaps we can add a new exercise to all our exercise classes here..."turn your head right, now, turn your head left"...

Golf Cart Accidents
 

The Villages Daily Sun should be publishing these incidents on the FRONT page with warnings to people to drive defensively and slow down! If people were more aware of some of the disasters that are occuring around us, perhaps they would get off their :cus: cell phones and start paying attention.

I realize The Villages doesn't want newbies and wannabees to realize there could ever be problems in Paradise. But The Sun has thousands of daily readers. They need to publish a wake up call!!

Ditto, Barefoot
 

I would add, it would help if they published every incident involving a citation for a moving violation. I am not suggesting naming names but just incidents.

It is my sense that many people who operate their golf carts, and cars, in the villages do so with an "entitlement" mentality. That is to say that I believe many people zoom around here believing they have earned the right to do as they please, without regard to rules and regulations. Mixed in with them are a group of people who were lousy drivers all their life. (Watch for the guy with his mouth hanging open and his left knee sticking out into oncoming traffic) But the ones who scoff at the stop signs, speed limits and other traffic controls are simply disregarding their social responsibilities. We all know that there is a maximum speed of 20 MPH for carts, so under what rule of order would an individual go out and knowingly soup up his cart to go 30 or more miles per hour. Why in heavens name would grandma or grandpa allow their precious little angle grandchildren to drive a cart on a pulbic street. Stand at any intersection that has a stop sign and see if anybody, ANYBODY, stops with their golf cart or automobile. Sometimes when people retire, they leave their brain back at work."I payed my dues, I did my time, now I'm gonna do as I damned well please."

There is also a grand group of people who still hold sacred their social responsibilites and mix in well with the community.

Cart accidents
 

Thank you for reminding me to buckle up in my cart.
Handie

Jan,

Well said and I think you are right on.

I still remember you little video of cars stopping--or more like, lack of--at intersections in TV. Scary

Your Village neighbors, someone's parent(s), persons unknown were in involved in 2 golf cart accidents. The original question was "does anyone know what happened"? I am glad to see of the 16 replies, 5 persons showed compassion for the injured parties with out being judgmental. On the other hand I find it detestable how a few use this Cart Accident to relay their knowledge as to the cause, what should be done with these people and all others like them, and acknowledge that they are the few gifted ones. Never themselves caused or almost caused a accident, received a ticket, talked on their cell phone while driving. Point the finger, "Everyone Drives Bad But Me" makes it a great bumper sticker so we know who you are. Some real beauties here "Sometimes when people retire, they leave their brain back at work" "Mixed in with them are a group of people who were lousy drivers all their life" "I am special and the world revolves around me". "If these people weren't so stupid TV would be a much better place for all of us" "when you see another driver .. assume they're going to do something incredibly stupid. In many cases you'll be right"

What really happened? We'll have to wait and see. In the mean time I also will be hoping the best for those injured.

Unexpected event
 

Not to defend any of the bad stuff going on BUT...

An accident is by definition an unexpected event or outcome. We've all had mishaps of some sort which MIGHT have been avoided and then again might NOT have been avoided.

There are myriad of circumstances that COULD cause a cart accident, none of which would be the fault of the driver.

That having been said, and regardless of the cause of the recent accidents, I will say that my observation is that the carts that exceed the 20mph run a great risk of injuring themselves or someone else. I recently saw a speeding cart with 2 passengers make a turn literally on 2 wheels. Cart are simply not built or designed to exceed their design limits. There ZERO protection for occupants and the injury potential from 20mph to 30mph increases exponentially.

Not to be a party pooper but I think it's time for some serious enforcement of cart speeds!

A few nights back, Honey and I (in our car) followed a golf cart up Canal St in town operated by two VERY young people. A third child, about 8 yo was strapped in back, standing where Grammy's golf clubs belong. So, whose brilliant idea was this? And how could anyone term the possible aftermath an "accident?"

sometimes the truth is destable.

I am unclear as to the meaning of your statement. Sometimes the truth is detestable?


Whatever the meaning the truth exists that we are all going to get older and at this moment, "There but for the grace of God, go I".

Lets face it, most of us know people who shouldn't be driving. Young or old.

Living in a resort town where there are alot of retirees, I see it everyday. And we won't go to the cell phone thing.

One of the "accidents" with the golf cart involved a tree. Did the tree jump out in front of the cart? Please. People need to pay more attention behind the wheel of car or cart.

The tree probably didn't move (at least the ones here in MA don't move) but it may have been an avoidance issue with another cart or runner or....

You never know unless you see it happen or you hear the report. In any event, accidents do happen and I will be using belts on my cart.

It could be worse!
 

This am on the way to my office I was going around the round-about at the north end of Morris where the hospital is. Suddenly I heard horns blowing and people yelling out of their car windows. An elderly gentleman who looked completely bewildered was going THE WRONG DIRECTION around and around the round about. He finally just stopped, right there in the round- about until he could be guided onto El Camino... Be careful, anything can happen!

Good point, Russ. I'm all for seatbelts.

I can't imagine. Body parts hanging out of the cart?

Didn't their mothers teach them about hanging out of a car window when they were younger?

Just goes to show, some people never learn.

Hope those who were involved in the accidents are doing better.

You want to see some crazy moves, ride a bicycle around here. You would not believe what you will see. You have got to be really defensive on a bike.

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
 

I drive my golf cart as I drive my car...carefully and defensively. I have pulled six people off buena vista in the past few weeks who are driving mostly rental carts and got lost. Now, how they can't read signs is beyond me...but, hey, they do. It's hard for me to fathom how someone can hit a tree in a golf cart, or, t-bone another cart, or, be stupid enough to take a sharp turn and toss someone out of the cart, or, to jump in front of car. There is always that 10% who don't get or think they are entitled or just plain stupid/arrogant.

You pulled them off the road? How?

Sorry, but I agree with Lt. Wolfe at The Villages Sumter County substation - NO seatbelts in carts. Ask him.

Sorry Mallory - we've debated this topic before but I'll put my 2 cents in again.

To me it comes down to personal choice and observation. How many of you have seen people thrown from carts who have been hurt? I'd say many since just in this thread alone we've discussed at least two recent accidents.

Now how many have seen overturned carts? (not on the golf course where I do agree that is the main concern due to hills and skidding on wet grass etc. I'm talking about the roads and the cart paths).

Ok i assume the answer is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 thrown outs or collisions to 1 rollover (probably higher though).

Lt. Wolfes data is talking about the danger of roll overs in which case you don't wan't to be hanging from the ceiling in a fire or a crushed roof - it would be safer to be thrown.

Maybe I'm wrong and there are more rollovers. But my cart WILL have a belt - you can make your own choice of course.

Russ

Carl Loeper, WVLG weather guy said the police had a golfcart speed trap set up yesterday in TV and were handing out tickets! If your cart is over 20mph you can get a ticket.

..And it's my understanding that those tickets can be very expensive indeed!:ohdear: