Police in Florida said that a 3-year-old driving a golf cart stuck and killed a 7-year-old standing in the front yard of a home in Fort Myers.
According to a news release from the Florida Highway Patrol, the 3-year-old was approaching a right curve near a home on private property located on Orange River Boulevard, when the front of the cart collided with the 7-year-old who was standing in the front yard. The older child was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead; the 3-year-old wasn’t hurt. FHP Lt. Greg Bueno confirmed that the two were brothers.
Earlier this year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill, which goes into effect Oct. 1, that requires golf cart drivers be at least 15 years old with a learner’s permit or 16 with a driver’s license. Anyone who is 18 or older must have a valid government-issued ID. Previously, Florida law allowed a 14-year-old to drive a golf cart.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 6,500 children are hurt by golf carts every year across the country. Just more than half of those injured are children under 12.
Editorial credit: Tracy Burroughs Brown / Shutterstock.com