Golf: Teenager sues Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club
Alex Good, a member of the Liberty High Golf Team, has sued Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club for negligence after he hit his eye with his own ball.
The 15-year-old boy from Hillsboro, Oregon claimed damages worth $3 million from the Club.
According to the petitioner, he was playing at a practice range in the golf course alongside his teammates. The teenager was a squad member of a local golf team and represented his school on county level.
However, in April of 2010, he went for his regular practice on a rainy day and took a tee shot. The ball hit a metal post that was holding up the canopy few inches from his driving mat. The ball rebound after a strong collision and hit him in the left eye.
Good’s attorney Terrance Lee Hogan presented the case in the court and said that the club was liable for the charges, as they should have known the consequences of putting a canopy in front of the driving range.
Normally, there is no canopy present on the range, but as it was raining, the staff members placed a shelter to prevent the range from becoming wet.
Hogan further added that Good had gone through several surgeries and might incur a vision problem for the rest of his life.
Another lawyer Geordie Duckler commented on the case and said, “As a person goes up to address the ball with their golf club and strike the ball, what are the known dangers around them? If they see a known and obvious danger and yet they go ahead and strike
the ball anyway, then they have assumed the risk – what a lawyer would call an assumption of risk. Even if it’s a 15-year-old, we hold 15-year-olds to certain levels of responsibility.”
Despite all odds, the court will consider the age factor of the petitioner.
Duckler added, “If this were the same facts, but the plaintiff was an experienced golfer in a tournament and knew all sorts of things about golf courses, and the risk of balls being hit, (there) probably would be no claim.”
The management of Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club refused to comment on the matter.
Tags: