Golf Cart Accidents

Dalton:
Welcome back to Mobile Mornings.
And a pleasure to welcome back in the studio Bryan Comer with Tobias & Comer Law, LLC law firm. And Bryan, good to see you again.

Bryan:
Thanks for having me back. Always good to be here.

Dalton:
So during the break, you brought up something that well, it hits home to me because back in my home of Grove Hill, it seemed like at some point over the last 15 years, everybody went out and got a golf cart and have been driving it around town. And you see that in a lot of places here in Mobile and Baldwin counties and souped up golf carts, street legal golf carts. They've got kind of everything for you now. And you've seen some of these cases where some of these accidents on golf carts have been pretty brutal.

Bryan:
Yeah. And you bring up a good point. I mean, I grew up in Satsuma and you can go and sit in my parents driveway on an afternoon after school or even on the weekend. And you can see 15 or 20 in an hour. And it's usually kids driving them on the street, whether it's an actual golf cart that should be used as a golf course or like you mentioned, the street legal golf carts are something that are more popular. And you see some that are jacked up, use it the hunting camp or something like that. But Yeah, they're prevalent.

Dalton:
So what are some of the I know you've seen some accidents in your work, some of the cases you've worked. What are some of the most likely accident you'll see with people on golf carts?

Bryan:
So typically people on golf carts forget that the rules of the road apply. And so if you're operating a motorized vehicle on the road, then you've got to obey stop signs, you've got to obey rights of way. And that sort of thing. You've got a signal before you turn and that sort of thing. And typically, unfortunately, you have younger, inexperienced drivers who are driving. And if they aren't paying attention or if they're texting or talking with friends, they may not be paying attention and then can get in a wreck. And unfortunately, we see this a lot with motorcycle wrecks, too. But cars have side curtain airbags and seatbelts and all this stuff, a door between you and the outside. And so those things typically aren't on the golf carts. And unfortunately, when a collision happens is typically even at a low speed can have really substantial consequences.

Dalton:
You have this really interesting chart on the Tobias & Comer Law, LLC website. I'll get to here in just a second. But you mentioned some of the younger kids and with them and even teenagers when they're on these carts. A lot of times on the road with law abiding drivers, they'll be standing up in the back. So it's already a dangerous situation. But then you add that youthful inexperience into the mix, and it can get really dangerous.

Bryan:
It certainly can. And that's the thing. I mean, kids, I remember being a lot younger and thinking I was 10 foot tall and bulletproof, too. And you don't think that there can be bad decisions. But the thing is, too. It isn't necessarily even the bad decision on the driver or the operator of the golf cart. We've had situations where cars aren't paying attention, the same deal. They're looking at their phones or they're just distracted for whatever reason. And before you know it, they're on top of a golf cart. They across the Center line. And those are the types of cases that we've seen, more of is the drivers much like with motorcycles not looking out for these cars on the road. And you couple that with someone who may not have the experience and can't take the evasive maneuvers necessary. And that can be a recipe for disaster.

Dalton:
I imagine a lot of those car drivers, truck drivers don't realize how legal some of these carts are, especially they are legal on these roads that are under 25 mile an hour limits. But you have to have all the right things on those carts. I mentioned that chart that you have at Tobias & Comer Law, LLC where you're talking about these golf carts and the equivalency of accidents in them. So if you're going 10 miles an hour and you get in an accident, that's equivalent to falling about three and a third feet. Okay, that's not that far off the ground, but could hurt a 15 mile per hour impact seven and a half foot fall. If you're going 20 miles an hour and you get into an accident, that's equivalent to a 13 and a half foot fall. And then 25 miles an hour could be like falling 20 feet. And I've seen a lot of news stories where 20 foot falls enough to seriously injure sometimes even kill people.

Bryan:
You're spot on it. In fact, people don't appreciate just how a fall from what might seem like not a high amount like seven and a half feet. People can die from a fall from seven and a half feet. And so that's what I was saying in terms of the safety equipment that are found in cars and trucks we don't see in golf carts. And so people need to be extra careful whether you're driving a car or whether you or one of your children or operating a golf cart, even the Street legal ones. For those same reasons, they have to be extra careful. And you need to make sure that you explain to your children before they get in, get behind the wheel that the rules apply. What rules are just like when you're driving a car?

Dalton:
Exactly. So you and I both had experiencing these carts out there. I'm sure plenty of people listening right now have as well. And some of them have even been in an accident on either side of the story, maybe they were legally driving a Street legal golf cart, and someone hit them. The other person was being unsafe. Or maybe it's the other side of the coin where you are driving your standard car or truck the legal way, and someone in an unsafe way harmed you in their cart. Both of those sides of the equation can contact Tobias & Comer Law, LLC.

Bryan:
Yeah, absolutely. And we do this all the time. I mean, people I didn't come from a family of lawyers. I had no experience before I went to law school. And we're happy to evaluate. There's never any kind of a fee. It's a free consultation, but to come in. And if you think that, you know, you have been injured by somebody else, again, whether you're driving the golf cart or whether you're driving the vehicle, but it was because of somebody else did something wrong. We're happy to take a look at that. And there is a lot that goes into an investigation from our standpoint. Not only do you want to go find the witnesses and talk to those people, but also you want to collect the forensic evidence that's there where there are tire marks, where somebody slammed on the brakes. Is there evidence that needs to be preserved, things that need to happen in short order so that we can properly evaluate the case and let you know, okay. Is this something that's worth pursuing in terms of is there a valid claim or not? And all of that goes into the equation and all Of that's part of the free consultation that we provide.

Dalton:
That's great point. The proof is on your website, tobiascomerlaw.com, where you have a lot of this information listed in a lot of the cases that you've won for your clients. Remind people where you're located. You guys are local, Mobilians, South Alabamians at heart, and you're experienced as well.

Bryan:
That's right. So we're at 1203 Dauphin Street, right next to the Alabama School of Math and Science at Ann and Dauphin and our website, tobiascomerlaw.com. You can also reach us at 251-432-5001. But we have combined. I think it's over 50 years of experience right here in Mobile representing people here in Mobile.

Dalton:
Well, Bryan, again, thank you so much for coming in today and really enjoyed our talk.

Bryan:
Thank you Dalton. Always appreciate it.