Golf Carts and the Sheriff's Department
 

Beware Villagers. I had an incident in my golf cart 2 weeks ago and the cart flipped over on me. Thanks to lots of kind Villagers on Hillsborough Trail the cart was lifted off of me and 911 was called. After that it went down hill.
I grazed the curb with my golf cart and that caused it to flip over. In conversations with the Insurance Company and the repair service I was told golf carts flip over very easily as the tires will "bounce" off the curb and under the right circumstances they flip over. Well I did have lots of injuries and I am still at home healing. My warning to you aside from the tire issue is that I also received a $166 citation from the Sumter County Sheriff's office and the offense will result in points on my Drivers License. Okay so that is for me to deal with but be advised that 2 different representatives from the Sheriff's Department told me that golf carts to not belong on "their roads" and should not be allowed. Great so the answer is to write citations for "Careless Driving". So disappointing. Never once did the responding officer offer any concern about my injuries and after being asked by the ambulance to remove himself from the ambulance so they could get me to the hospital, he immediately drove to the hospital and was waiting for me when I was rolled in so he could hand me the citation. There is lots more to this story and yes I accept the responsibility of grazing the curb but I don't thinks I was "Careless Driving". Was just on my way to Bonifay for golf. Be careful out there as I do not want anyone to go through what I did.

I am not sure how else to define a single vehicle or (cart) accident that hits the curb and flips over other than careless driving. I don't mean to come across blunt and I am thankful that you are okay, but you did have an accident. The curb didn't stick out and hit you- you accidently hit it with the tire as you describe that causes it to easily flip. A citation is warranted, I am sorry that the officer didn't appear sympathetic or concerned. Sometimes they do get in a hurry and focus on the task and attempt to move to another call in the county.

Well said.

👍👍👍👍👍

:gc::agree:

Don't have a comment on the blame or the issue of carelessness. However, I hope you heal quickly and completely and get back on the golf course. Sounds like a real nightmare.

RN...........first to respond and goes right to the root.

Nice post.

If there is more to the story, please post.

:beer3:

You can get careless driving ticket for weaving between the lines, rolling thru stop sign, not us blinker light, or abruptly stopping or taking off, speeding, and nay other traffic violations. . It's add on ticket. Now when you run off the road and crash ITs A GIVEN as you found out. Very few of us can go 2 miles without commenting some violations.

Witnesses?
 

:agree: I don't have much to add.

In the ancient past when I investigated traffic crashes, I didn't write a citation on a one-car crash if I did not witness the careless driving, or have an eyewitness that I could summons to court. Technically the careless driving was a misdemeanor not committed in the presence of the officer. Statements of the driver to the investigating officer at the scene were not admissible in court. I wonder if things have changed?

Sorry, I don't seem to agree with the majority here. There are many reasons someone may hit the curb. A car swerved into the golf cart lane, a dog ran in front of the cart, a bee stung the driver, a XXX was in the lane. So for this Sumter sheriff to write a citation for an accident he did not witness, if it were me it would be challenged.

These cops would not exist if it were not for us. They would still be only 3 of them driving 10 year old cars. They have 95% of what they have because of our tax base. I think they should be after real crimes that happen here, not handing out citations to golf carts and minor infractions. We vote them in and they can very easily be voted out, budgets cut, etc.

Agreed.

Not to mention those areas (Del Mar Dr. for just one) where the cart lane is so narrow, that to stay within the white line...requires that the right tire has to be on/near the edge of the pavement/beginning of the concrete curb.

So the choice becomes to either cross the solid white line with the left tire, or have the cart shimmy/wiggle...with the right tire on the pavement/curb line.

I can easily see where someone trying to stay within the excessively narrow lane, could hit the curb...and potentially flip the cart.

Every person who agreed with the officer would change their tune if it was them that flipped. No need for the ticket. It was an accident not an on purpose. Give the OP a break. Aren’t the injuries enough? Maybe a new officer, who knows. Time to lawyer up. If it was me I would face my accuser in court not in a hospital, respectfully.

A defense could be , would you give someone a fine who pricks their finger while trying to thread a needle, in some ares of TV there is almost no margin for error--the paths are way to narrow-

I was informed by a local doctor in Sarasota that if the police are called no matter how minor the incident they write a ticket regardless....not just TV....was it necessary in his case? I think not.....but seems the norm for Florida...