Do you have a Golf Carts case?

Office Call us at 1 (203) 329-9909
Free initial phone consultation for attorneys and insurance representatives
Technology Associates > Expertise > Mechanical Engineering > Product Liability > Golf Carts

Golf Carts

Post image for Golf Carts

Golf Carts

There are roughly 15,000 golf cart related accidents requiring emergency room treatment in the United States each year. The majority of these accidents are related to either braking, cart rollover or passenger ejection. These problems are common to golf carts due to their open design, lack of seatbelts, poor braking capabilities and the uneven terrains they are driven on. Although industry standards prohibit golf carts from exceeding a maximum speed of 15 mph, rollovers and ejections still occur due to sharp turns, steep inclines, mechanical failures and driver error. In addition, most golf carts are equipped with mechanical rear brakes only (instead of four wheel brakes like cars), significantly limiting their stopping ability.

 

Our engineers have extensive experience in investigating golf cart accidents.  We have published several papers in peer-reviewed journals regarding passenger ejection and rollover accidents, and one of our engineers has served on an ANSI safety standards committee for golf carts and related vehicles.

Our engineers have been assisting attorneys and insurance representatives in investigating accidents since 1990. We have a highly qualified staff of engineers with advanced degrees from top-tier universities who have provided testimony on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants at trial

Print This

Previous Cases

Passenger Ejection

Two men were riding through a paved golf course parking lot when the driver made a sudden left turn and the passenger was ejected from the vehicle, sustaining severe head injuries. We demonstrated that when the cart was turned as sharply as possible at its maximum speed, the g side forces were sufficient to eject the passenger. We also faulted the manufacturer for failing to provide readily accessible hand-holds and warning labels as required in the ANSI golf cart standard.

Golf Cart Rollover

A golf cart driver was traveling down a steep golf course path when his vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably. The cart left the path and rolled over, crushing the driver. Inspections revealed no brake failure. We showed that as designed, even properly functioning brakes could not have slowed the cart on the steep hill. We also demonstrated that the speed governor must have malfunctioned, since the cart could not have rolled over unless it reached speeds well over the designed maximum.