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WATCH: Rogue golf cart wreaks absolute havoc at golf club

September 6, 2019

Golf cart accidents are more prevalent that you might think. In just the last two years, a runaway golf cart injured spectators at the U.S. Open, a volunteer was seriously injured at the Waste Management Phoenix Open when he was run over and dragged by his own cart, and two men drowned after their cart was accidentally rear-ended into a river by their wives.

On Friday, video surfaced of yet another golf cart mishap, and if you’ve ever wondered how a golf cart behaves when it operates without a driver, the footage below answers the question.

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This is what happens when a golf cart goes on a joyride…? (via @eric_voelker)

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The video begins innocuously enough. A golf course worker pulls up to what appears to be the clubhouse entrance with a cart full of golf bags — a common practice, especially when a course uses a bag drop area.

But then things take a turn. When the worker sets the parking brake as the cart comes to a stop, he gets out of the cart as he’s probably done hundreds, if not thousands of times before, but this time, the movement jostles the pile of bags enough that one of them shifts positions so that the base of the bag ends up right on the gas pedal.

Immediate mayhem ensues, as the cart speeds off without a driver. The worker realizes what’s happening right away, and rushes to turn the wheel of the cart away from a parked car. He succeeds, but the speed of the cart causes him to fall, and the cart then caroms into a pillar, taking the pillar out completely, before making a sharp right turn into a parked SUV.

Luckily, the SUV is sturdy enough to stop the cart, and by that time, there are other workers on the scene. It could have been plenty worse. While the course identity and personnel in the video are currently unknown, the scary situation serves as a great reminder to always take the key out of a cart when you are transporting heavy equipment and are ready to stop and exit. As demonstrated above, the parking brake isn’t always enough.

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