California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
A 77-year-old Aguana pedestrian was recently killed when he was hit by a golf cart while crossing the street. According to The Press-Enterprise, the pedestrian was crossing the street in a mobile home park when a 73-year-old resident driving a golf cart failed to stop and collided with the pedestrian.
The pedestrian was thrown onto the asphalt roadway, and hit his head causing major head trauma. Police and medical personnel responded to the scene and found the pedestrian in critical condition. He was airlifted to Inland Valley Medical Center, where he died later that day.
Police will continue to investigate the incident, to determine what exactly caused the accident. It appears that the golf cart driver may have simply not been paying attention to the road or the pedestrian. Still, this does not excuse the golf cart driver from liability for this wrongful death accident.
The use of Golf carts as transportation is becoming increasingly popular outside of golf courses. Golf carts are often used on large university campuses, in retirement communities, or even on ranch lands or other large properties. Many people in small or retirement communities favor golf carts because of the ease of getting around in a golf cart. Although they can be helpful, golf carts do not have many of the safety features a vehicle has and can still be extremely harmful to pedestrians, even though they are smaller than most vehicles. Many golf cart drivers may drive negligently because they do not believe a golf cart can cause harm. However, as illustrated by this case, Golf carts can be extremely dangerous.
Just like in a wrongful death pedestrian accident caused by a vehicle, the family members of the victim in this golf cart wrongful death should reach out to an experienced wrongful death attorney. A wrongful death case can be brought against the driver of the cart in this case if it is shown the driver was negligent in some way. An experienced wrongful death attorney can begin an immediate investigation to identify the responsible parties, which could include an insurance company, if the cart driver had insurance on the cart.
Many times, golf cart accidents do not result in death, but rather serious injuries. For these clients, recovering compensation for medical care is crucial. A serious injury could leave you or a loved one facing crippling medical bills while unable to work and support your family. When a golf cart accident does result in death, loved ones are often faced with hospital bills, funeral and burial costs, and lost wages. Damages recovered in a personal injury or wrongful death case can be used to cover these types of expenses.
If you have a loved one was injured or killed in a golf cart accident or another type of pedestrian accident in Riverside County or Southern California, reach out to Walch Law. Our personal injury and wrongful death attorneys are available to meet with you in a free consultation to discuss the details of your case and determine how best to move forward. Contact us via our online form or by calling us at 866-465-8792.