A recent accident involving a golf cart and a car left one person in the hospital with serious injuries and another looking at criminal prosecution.
A 95-year-old Villager was charged with leaving the scene of the crash, Villages-News reports. The woman was allegedly behind the wheel of a Mercury sedan that collided with a golf cart driven by an 81-year-old Villages resident.
Police say the car blew through a stop sign near the Chatham Postal Station and collided with the cart. She then sped off, according to cops, even as a witness tried to get her to stop.
The golf cart driver was transported to the Ocala Regional Medical Center, where she was treated for several weeks. She reportedly suffered broken legs, broken ribs and blood clots.
The woman driving the car “could barely see over the steering wheel,” the witness later told police.
Florida Highway Patrol officers did not track down the alleged hit-and-run driver until some two months after the crash, according to Villages-News.
Gate camera video footage of the collision reportedly helped an investigator identify the vehicle. The investigator first tracked the car to the woman’s home in Calumet Grove, where the garage was empty. The investigator eventually found the vehicle at the Sumter Senior Living on County Road 466A. The car was still damaged on the driver’s side fender and door, Villages-News reports.
The owner “initially refused to meet with the investigator and would only speak to him by phone,” Meta Minton writes for Villages-News. “She later claimed she wasn’t sure where the collision occurred.”
The woman recently pleaded not guilty. She remains free on a $5,000 bond while awaiting prosecution.
Deadly Hit-and-Run Accident in Villages
Sadly, these kinds of accidents are all too common in The Villages.
A 91-year-old Villages woman last year was sentenced to spend half a decade behind bars over a hit-and-run crash that caused severe injuries to a pair of bicyclists. The woman slammed her Mercedes-Benz into a Village of Dunedin couple on Morse Boulevard near Bonita Boulevard, causing one cyclist to suffer severe brain and other injuries.
The good news is that anyone who is injured in a car, golf cart, bicycle or other accident in Florida has the right to seek compensation from those responsible. That includes money for doctors' bills and related costs, as well as property damage and any impact of the injuries on a person’s ability to earn income.
Speak With a Villages Golf Cart Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a golf cart or other crash, it is vital to seek the advice of an experienced injury attorney. Villages golf cart accident lawyer Tim Babiarz has been fighting for people and families across the community for more than two decades.
Our office is conveniently located in the Villages. We are also proud to represent clients throughout the area, including in Ocala, Leesburg, Lady Lake, Wildwood, Summerfield and beyond. Call (352) 205-7559 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a Villages golf cart accident attorney.
