Runaway golf cart leaves U.S. Open spectators with major injuries

The USGA and California Highway Patrol are investigating a golf cart collision that took place today.

It happened on the 16th fairway at the Pebble Beach Gold Links during the second round of the 2019 U.S. Open Championship.

Officials say a vendor was making a delivery with the golf cart that was loaded with boxes. The vendor parked and walked away from the golf cart, when the box on the front seat fell onto the floor and landed on the accelerator.

“It had a little bit of turn to it, fortunately, so it kind of went in a circle instead of going straight. It ran over the ropes in one spot. It hit a guy, or he jumped out of the way, but he went down,” said Soren Jacobsen, who witnessed the incident.

The unoccupied golf cart began moving forward and was out of control. The vendor along with four spectators were injured. The vendor removed the box from the accelerator and the golf cart came to a complete stop.

“Somebody kind of jumped on to it. It looks like they might have bounced off the hood a little bit, because they ended up on the ground. But they were able to knock the box off the accelerator which stopped it from careening through more people,” Jacobsen said.

The ages of all the involved range from 25 – 82 years old. Two spectators were transported to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula for their injuries.

CHP lists two people as having “major injuries” – an 82-year-old man from Modesto and a 25-year-old man from Highland Village, Texas.

Other injures:

– 58-year old man from Modesto

– 58-year-old woman from Carmel

– 43-year-old man from West Jordan, Utah.

The California Highway Patrol continues the investigation.