[SteveFromNY]

My son, the Mrs and I were just out sightseeing at the end of Pennekamp - those last 3 spots on the very end. We were heading back when right across our path came a speeding golf cart, the driver came flying out (with his dog) and the cart crashed thru a fence head-on into a tree. The driver was clearly hurt. He went rolling around, hit his head, and cut up his arms, and wound up laying on his back. I watched this happen right in front of my cart. He missed us by just a few feet. If he was going a tad slower or we were going faster, he could have hit us.
My son called 911 and stayed on the line with them. A car came following a few seconds later, the driver was following him as he'd just driven across his lawn and thru a fence. Another minute goes by and the ambasador from one of the Cane Garden courses show up - also following. The driver had apparently driven all over the course, even across some greens. Nearly had a head-on with the ambassador.
The guy was breathing but totally unresponsive. The firemen and medics came, put him on a stretcher, and waited for the medivac helicopter to airlift him out.
The helicopter circled for 10 or 15 minutes, then landed, and they loaded the man onto the copter, and off they went.
They man was alive, still unresponsive, and acording to FHP at the scene no one smelled anything on his breath. A mystery as to what the heck happened.
Scared the daylights out of the 3 of us.

[The Great Fumar]

Sounds like a diabetic coma to me............I once saw a man tear the inside of a car out before anyone could get close to him to give him an injection.....
I'm not a real doctor but once in a while I .........

fumar

[kittylecroix]

I'm not a doctor either, but I think if it was a diabetic incident, his breath would have smelled "fruity". I think the medics would have picked up on that. It must have been something serious though.

[jdsl1998]

This is sad. Prayers for comfort go out to all of you.

[graciegirl]

You are right. An insulin episode, not a coma. The symptoms are sometimes irascibility and delusional thinking although they are still able to move about. Many times people are arrested for drunkenness when it is a diabetic episode. I am sure the paramedics would know. Fortunate he is alive and so is everyone else.

[Talk Host]

A couple of years ago, our neighbor, who is diabetic, drove full speed into his closed garage door. I was in the driveway of my house washing my motorcycle when I saw him coming down the street at top speed. I expected him to slow down, but noticed the look on his face and his position in the cart.

When he entered his driveway with his foot still to the floor on the accelerator, I knew there was trouble. He hit the door full force, crushed the front and roof of this cart and the garage door. He and his cart rebounded all the way back to the street.

He hurt his back, but was otherwise okay (I guess).

You don't see stuff like that or what SteveFromNY saw every day. It's pretty unnerving.

[duffysmom]

What a terrible story. What happened to the dog?

[SteveFromNY]

My wife held onto the dog while all of this was going on. Once the helicopter left, we were able to go as well (we were busy talking to the emergency crews and were also penned by all the emergency vehicles - fire, ambulance, sheriffs, FHP and a copter). The sheriff took the dog then and held him for the man's wife, who we saw approaching as we left.
After hearing the comments about diabetic reactions, that does sound on the money. This guy had no idea what he was doing. I'm guessing he took the dog for a ride somewhere when all of this befell him. Scarey & sad.

[drr47]

I am the neighbor that was talking with you last night. I think there needs to be some folllow up about an exit from that part of the Villages. As a non Villager I don't know who to talk to about this, but it is a long way to transport someone from that area. Glad you finaly got out of there.

[SteveFromNY]

Originally Posted by drr47

I am the neighbor that was talking with you last night. I think there needs to be some folllow up about an exit from that part of the Villages. As a non Villager I don't know who to talk to about this, but it is a long way to transport someone from that area. Glad you finaly got out of there.

Small world, eh?
I agree it would be nice to have another point of access, but, with the planning all approved, I'm not sure what could be done now. Perhaps a gate in your yard? I know you said it was 9.4 miles from your house to that point. Considering it was 100 ft maybe to your yard, that's a heck of a detour. Big problem to me is nobody knows how to get there. The guy who's fence was knocked over had to have his wife stand watch for the emergency vehicles at one point, and he stood at another to lead them to the crash site.

[drr47]

as more homes are built in this area, more people will know where it is. However, as I said last night there is a lot of traffic on that road, both carts and auto, all night long.

[Russ_Boston]

Obviously it did not progress to COMA since he was still alert enough to drive. Does sound like a possible hyperglycemic event (ketoacidosis or the like) though. Let's hope he is OK.