Police in Florida reported that on Monday afternoon, a 3-year-old boy driving a golf cart fatally struck his older brother while on private property.
The Florida Highway Patrol shared that the incident occurred at around 4 p.m. on Monday when the toddler got behind the wheel of the golf cart in Fort Myers. It wasn’t made clear in the report if the property where the incident occurred was where the two kids lived.
Officials shared that the toddler was driving the golf cart and approaching a curve at the property when he hit his 7-year-old brother in the front yard.
The accident resulted in the older boy suffering critical injuries, police shared. The boy was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the report, the 3-year-old was not injured in the incident. It was also noted that he was not wearing a seat belt or helmet while driving the golf cart.
Police did not share in their report why the toddler was behind the wheel to begin with. They also did not share whether or not adults were around when the fatal accident happened.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 6,500 children and adolescents are injured by golf carts each year, and just over half of those injuries are among children 12 and younger.
However, the AAP shared that most of those injuries are superficial, as fractures and dislocations are among the most common injuries.
“As the incidence of golf cart-related injuries continues to rise and their accessibility increases proportionately, improved safety guidelines and regulations should be considered in hopes of preventing these common injuries, especially in an at-risk pediatric population,” the organization warned.
The investigation into the incident on Monday remains ongoing at this time.
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