What began as a quiet night near Waterford Terrace, Missouri, quickly turned chaotic when a golf cart lost control and collided with a parked vehicle. Emergency crews rushed to the scene, and authorities are investigating the circumstances behind the shocking accident that has left the community on edge.

The chaos unfolded around 11:25 p.m. Saturday night. A 2020 Club Car golf cart, traveling eastbound near Waterford Terrace, suddenly veered off the right side of the narrow roadway. In a terrifying instant, it overturned, slamming into a 2025 Hyundai Santa Fe parked nearby. The force left the golf cart moderately damaged and the SUV with minor dents, but the human cost was far greater.

Inside the overturned cart, a 28-year-old man from Bridgeton, Missouri, suffered severe injuries. Emergency responders acted quickly, calling in MU Air for an urgent airlift to University Hospital in Columbia. Every minute counted as he battled the effects of serious trauma.

Meanwhile, the 42-year-old driver, a resident of Omaha, Nebraska, walked away physically unharmed. He was able to drive the golf cart from the scene, but authorities noted that, under Missouri law, neither occupant was required to wear seatbelts, a factor that may have influenced the severity of the passenger’s injuries.

Coincidentally, on the same day as the Missouri golf cart crash, another serious incident occurred in Ohio. On August 23, a mother drove a golf cart into Atwood Lake with three of her children inside. While the children escaped unharmed, authorities later found her 4-year-old son and her husband deceased, highlighting once again how quickly golf cart incidents can turn dangerous and, in some cases, deadly.

Golf carts may seem harmless or even convenient, but their accessibility can make them deceptively dangerous. Even at professional events, safety cannot be taken lightly.

In one such incident, on May 20, 2023, at Oak Hill Country Club in New York, Lauren M. Lilley was watching the PGA Championship when a CBS-operated golf cart struck her from behind, throwing her onto the course. She suffered a concussion, herniated disc, and serious injuries to her neck, shoulder, and arm, requiring surgery and leaving her with lasting pain.

Unlike golf ball injuries, which often fall under “assumption of risk,” golf cart accidents are considered operational safety issues. PGA rules require carts to move at walking speed in crowded areas, avoid backing up blindly, and never operate during play, with drivers over 18 and licensed, but in this case, those protocols appear not to have been followed. The incident raises serious questions about whether organizers and broadcasters are doing enough to protect fans from equipment-related hazards.

However, golf cart dangers aren’t limited to crashes on the road. Mechanical issues can be just as serious, as seen in Potomac, Maryland, where a golf cart battery sparked a house fire.

Golf cart battery sparks $300,000 house fire in Maryland

In Potomac, Maryland, a golf cart battery turned an ordinary morning into a frightening ordeal. Early on Friday, August 22, a fire broke out in a two-story home on Mimosa Farm Court, starting in the garage and quickly spreading into the main living area.

Thankfully, one resident and two dogs were able to escape safely, avoiding what could have been a far worse tragedy. By the time firefighters arrived around 8:45 a.m., thick smoke and intense flames had already engulfed much of the house. Investigators later confirmed that the fire was triggered by an overheated electric golf cart battery.

The blaze caused an estimated $300,000 in damage, serving as a stark reminder that even familiar, everyday vehicles like golf carts can pose serious hazards when things go wrong. These incidents make us wonder how safe golf carts really are and whether their risks are being overlooked until it’s too late.