This guy just retired after he had worked all of his life as a real estate agent. Some friends of his set up a morning round of golf to celebrate. I have been there many times, it is a beautiful area and golf course, and in over 40 years nothing like this has ever happened.
Man killed in golf cart crash
By: North County Times
PALA MESA ---- 66-year-old Edwin Payne was killed today when he drove his golf cart off a 70-foot-high cliff and crashed down onto Old Highway 395, authorities said. The man teed off with three friends on the second hole of the Pala Mesa Resort Golf Course in northern San Diego County at around 10 a.m. and then got into his cart.
The vehicle veered off the concrete pathway, traveled down a 25-foot embankment and went over the edge of the 70-foot cliff as his friends watched helplessly, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Tom Kerns said.
The crash happened at 10:04 a.m. at the Pala Mesa Golf Course at Old Highway 395 at Pala Mesa Drive, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
Firefighters tried to administer lifesaving efforts, but the man was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene, said North County Fire Protection District spokesman John Buchanan. No one else was hurt.
Authorities are investigating what caused the man to drive off the cliff. No alcohol or drugs were involved in the accident.
I am reading this as I prepare myself to go out and play as I have a 0930 Tee time myself today...but I can't stop thinking about that particular golf course in Ca..I've played many golf courses on the East coast (from Maine to Florida), and have NEVER seen a hole where a cart could actually crash down anything and harm someone...the worse I have seen is a cart possibly going into a tree or a pond..obviously the course is designed poorly, and safety measures are not in place...I suspect the family will own the course when this is all over with..
No guys.... I saw the report on tv and it isn't like you think. The golf cart path runs parallel to the slope and has a six-inch cement curb (just like a sidewalk would in the city). Beyond this curb is about 20 feet of grass and then it goes down a 30 foot gentle slope of brush and trees and THEN it drops off sharply to the highway below. The golf cart is electronically governed to only reach a top speed of 12 MPH. What happened was... he teed off on the second hole and his shot went wild and into the bushes. He pulled his cart off of the path and onto the grass (against course rules) so he could look for the ball. When he couldn't find it, he hit another one and got back on the cart to catch up with his friends who were already driving towards the third hole. When he drove the cart across the grass and back onto the paved path, he lost control of it, went straight across the path and jumped the other curb and went down the enbankment.
"As his golf cart traveled off the lawn area and onto the concrete cart path in a southerly direction, the golf cart began to bounce around. It appeared that he lost control of the cart as it veered over the east curb of the cart path and down an embankment where it eventually went off a sheer cliff," Kerns said. "Golfers at the Pala Mesa Resort at lunchtime said it was hard to imagine how the golf cart could make it over the concrete path's 6-inch curb and through the brush between the course and the highway without stopping."
If anything, a lawsuit could be focused on a malfunctioning golf cart and why it didn't stop when it had plenty of time to do so. He should have just bailed out when he realized he couldn't stop and was heading towards the cliff. Any of us would have, but he was 66 and for whatever reason he stayed on the cart all the way to the highway.
Here is a pic where he went off and I drew on it where he was parked and where he went towards the slope so you can kind of get an idea:
"The vehicle veered off the concrete pathway, traveled down a 25-foot embankment and went over the edge of the 70-foot cliff"
Apparentley the photo doesn't show the 70ft cliff..which , IMO, should have been properly secured (NOT with some thin brush as pictured)...and NOT with a 6 inch curb on ONLY the cart path!...and ALL golfers veer of the cart path on all courses...thats expected..what I see is GROSS negligence by the course!...and even if the cart is governed for ONLY 5 mph, it should NOT have the ability to go over ANY cliff!
