Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2025
A Pediatric Concussion Model in Mice: Closed Head Injury with Long-Term Disorders (CHILD)
Published on: February 7, 2025
Pediatric Golf Cart Injuries and Morbidity: A Single-Center Trauma Experience
Kaitlyn Boggs1, Andrew Wortham2, Mathew J Gregoski3
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
Insights
Golf cart injuries are a significant risk for children, often resulting in severe harm. Minors driving golf carts are more likely to cause pediatric injuries requiring hospitalization.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Trauma
- Injury Prevention
- Public Health
Background:
- Golf carts pose a significant risk of injury to pediatric populations.
- Existing safety regulations for golf carts are inconsistent, leading to potential hazards for children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize pediatric golf cart injuries, including demographics, clinical presentation, and outcomes.
- To investigate associations between patient/driver age, mechanism of injury, and hospital admission, length of stay, and surgical interventions.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of pediatric golf cart injuries at a Level I trauma center from 2013-2023.
- Data collected included demographics, injury mechanisms, cart location, driver age, injury types, and clinical factors.
- Statistical assessment of factors influencing hospital admission, length of stay, and surgical intervention.
Main Results:
- 156 pediatric patients sustained golf cart injuries; 39% required trauma activation.
- Most patients were under 13, injured by falling from the cart, and admitted to the hospital.
- Head, neck, face, and extremities were most commonly injured; privately insured patients were disproportionately represented.
- Over half of injuries involved minor drivers (median age 13), who were more likely to result in hospital admission.
Conclusions:
- Golf carts are a substantial source of serious pediatric injuries.
- There is a critical need for standardized golf cart safety regulations and increased public awareness of associated risks to children.
Objective:
The primary aim of this study was to characterize pediatric golf cart injuries at our center including demographic, clinic, and outcome data. The secondary outcomes explored were associations between patient and driver age and mechanism of injury with hospital admission, length of stay, and surgical interventions.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective analysis of golf cart injuries at a pediatric American College of Surgeons Level I trauma center (2013-2023). Demographic information, mechanism of injury, location in the cart, driver age, injury locations and types, and other clinical factors were assessed. Possible differences in hospital admission, length of stay, and surgical intervention were assessed.
Results:
There were 156 patients who sustained golf cart injuries, with 39% requiring trauma activation upon initial presentation. The majority of patients were 13 years old or younger (75.6%), injured from a fall from the cart (55.8%), and admitted to the hospital (51.9%). Over half of the patients had more than one injury type, most commonly affected areas were head, neck, or face (61.5%) and extremities (66.7%). There was a disproportionate number of privately insured patients who presented with golf cart-related injuries compared with the general emergency department population (64.1 vs. 18.5%, 45.6% difference, 95% CI: 37.8%-52.7%, P <0.0001). Over half (63%) of patients with a documented driver age were in golf carts driven by a minor, with a median driver age of 13 years old. Patients in accidents where the drivers were minors were more likely to be admitted to the hospital ( P <0.001).
Conclusions:
Golf carts are a considerable source of injury for our pediatric population, with some accidents leading to serious morbidity. There is a need for consistent safety regulation of golf carts and increased public knowledge of the hazards they pose to children.
