BRADENTON BEACH – One of the biggest concerns for the Island’s police departments is the use of seatbelts on low-speed vehicles (LSV), commonly referred to as golf carts. After an accident that sent a 75-year-old woman crashing face-first through the windshield of the LSV she was riding in, her family wants to stress the importance of buckling up, something they admit they hadn’t done when the accident happened.
The situation unfolded on March 10 at 7:30 p.m. as Debbie Guilfoyle, 75, of Iowa was riding in the passenger seat of an LSV being driven by her 46-year-old daughter, who asked that her name be withheld, as well as her daughter, Lisa Walker, who was riding unbelted in the rear seat of their rental cart.
The women say they were driving northbound on Gulf Drive when they approached the green light at the intersection at Cortez Road and had the right of way, so they entered the intersection. At the same time, a car making a southbound left turn onto Cortez Road toward the Cortez Bridge did not yield and turned into their path of travel, they said, leaving the unnamed daughter no choice but to brake as hard as she could, sending Guilfoyle through the cart’s windshield, landing headfirst on the pavement. The SUV that cut them off left the scene.
“My mom took a header through the windshield and did a 180-degree flip onto the ground,” Walker said. “She hit her head, bruised her shoulder and had plenty of bumps and bruises.”
Walker said her family is grateful the injuries weren’t worse than they were. Guilfoyle was taken to HCA Florida Blake Hospital by EMS and given a CT scan, which showed no serious injuries, and she was released after five hours of evaluation. Walker also received multiple injuries to her chest after hitting the rear safety bar of the cart during the accident but was also cleared by doctors after a CT scan.
Walker said an ER nurse was in traffic behind them and came to the scene to stabilize her mother’s head until West Manatee Fire Rescue arrived. A doctor at the scene also assisted. She said her family was blessed to have these two people nearby, and the three of them all learned a lesson they want to share with anyone who will listen.
“Wear seatbelts on these carts, please,” Walker said. “Please, please, please! Don’t crash through a windshield, or wind up in the hospital with a bruised chest or far worse; just wear a seatbelt.”
Walker, who admits none of them were belted, hopes her story will inspire people to remember that just because they are in vacation mode and the Island is a virtual paradise, no amount of white sand or palm trees makes a car, truck or SUV weigh one ounce less or makes them immune from causing a tragedy that could be possibly prevented by a simple click.
Island police departments also warn that not only is not wearing a seatbelt on an LSV dangerous, it’s also illegal, and tickets are written in all three Island cities.
