Blinded by Companion's Tee Shot... Court Rules "Caddie's Negligence Confirmed"

The Court Rules "Violation of Safety Manual"... Caddy Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison

A court ruling has found a golf caddy liable for negligence after a woman in her 30s, sitting in a golf cart, was struck by a flying ball and lost her eyesight. The ruling was based on the failure to follow the safety manual, which states that players must be positioned behind the hitter after exiting the cart.

According to the legal community on the 6th, Judge Park Hyunjin of the Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch Criminal Division 2 sentenced golf course caddy A (female, 52), who was indicted without detention on charges of professional negligence causing injury, to six months in prison and ordered her immediate detention.

(This photo is not directly related to the article.) [Photo by Pixabay]

Caddy A was working with customers on a round at a golf course in Wonju around 1 p.m. on October 3, 2021. After parking the cart about 10 meters to the left front of the tee box, she signaled a male golfer to tee off. The ball flew and struck B (34, female), who was inside the cart, causing her to lose sight in that eye due to negligence.

As a result of the accident, B’s left eye was ruptured, leading to the removal of the eyeball and permanent injury. The court noted that B, an unmarried woman, suffered significant physical and psychological pain, including the eventual removal of her eye.

Despite the severe injury to B’s left eye, caddy A, who has worked at the golf course for over 20 years, claimed during the trial that she had no breach of duty of care in her work and that there was no substantial causal relationship with the incident’s outcome.

However, the court found that caddy A was indeed negligent in her professional duties. At the time of the accident, two men and two women, including B, were on the round. The tee box behind where the incident occurred had an unusual layout that required parking the cart about 10 meters to the left front.

After the two men hit their tee shots, both balls went out of bounds (OB) to the front left. A so-called mulligan (a chance to retake a shot without penalty after a poor first shot) was granted, and the ball hit again flew toward the cart parked to the front left, causing the incident.

The tee box at the golf course where the incident occurred. [Photo by Yonhap News]

The court acknowledged that the cart was parked in an unusual position behind the hole’s tee box, but found negligence in operating the game contrary to the manual, which requires that “the cart be stopped and all customers get out to position themselves behind the player.”

Judge Park stated, “Even if considerable bad luck was involved, the defendant is a veteran caddy with over 20 years of experience who could have reasonably anticipated the possibility of such an incident and failed to follow basic manuals, responding carelessly.”

He added, “About two and a half years after the accident, the defendant has consistently shown an irresponsible attitude without any apology or efforts to compensate the victim,” and concluded, “Considering the defendant’s attitude toward handling the incident, it is difficult to avoid a prison sentence.”

A’s legal representative has filed an appeal with the court following this verdict.

Meanwhile, the golf course is reported to have changed the tee box layout for safety reasons after the incident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.