Just like something out of Caddyshack...

[Dr. Sak]

I live exactly 1 mile from the course.

Golfers pull five from burning car - Tribune-Review

Golfers pull five occupants from burning car
By Paul Peirce
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Dave Higinbotham of Hempfield had just finished analyzing a chip shot on the third hole Tuesday morning when a car came barreling through Cloverleaf Golf Club near Delmont.

Higinbotham and fellow members of the Westmoreland County Senior Golf League shouted to warn other golfers about the red Subaru station wagon careening out of control.

"It was more, 'Watch out! Fore! Fore!' " recalled Higinbotham, an Allegheny Power retiree.

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"You know, with all the sand traps and ditches on the course, that car hit one ditch and went completely airborne. It clipped our golf cart, struck one tree pretty good, then hit another before coming to a stop," Higinbotham said.

"I initially thought it was a bunch of kids fooling around ... then when we got up to it I saw it was a group of people our own ages," said Ron Shephard of Harrison City.

When the vehicle finally stopped after hitting the trees, it caught fire with five people trapped inside. Trooper Albert S. Rizzo III of Kiski Valley said the occupants -- two men in front and three women in the back -- were pulled out by golfers, including Higinbotham and his golfing partner, Shephard.

"The air bags had deployed so we pulled them all out. The one woman was complaining of a back injury, so we didn't want to move her any more than we had to, and one of the men was complaining about his chest, but the car was on fire so we pushed it away from where they were lying on the course in case it exploded," Higinbotham said.

Driver Paul Lazear, 82, and his wife, Carol, 72, both of Pittsburgh, suffered minor injuries and were treated in Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital at Jeannette. Other passengers, Ruth Daniels, 83, and Flora Lee Katz, 72, also of Pittsburgh, were treated in Excela's Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg; and Katz's husband, Bertram, 80, the front-seat passenger, was taken by medical helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh.

Those injured were reported in good condition.

"I've been a fireman for 25 years and I don't remember having a call like this. We had to drive a 26-ton truck right onto the middle of the golf course," said Forbes Road Assistant Chief Steve Rosatti.

According to Rizzo, Lazear said he pulled onto Cloverleaf Drive in Salem toward the parking lot for a golf outing "when he said the brakes failed."

Police said the car continued through the parking lot, where it struck a car and headed directly toward the clubhouse.

"He said he couldn't get the car stopped, They almost struck the clubhouse, which we were fortunate they didn't, but they did strike a parked car," Rizzo said.

The vehicle entered a golf cart path, passed the first hole's tee and drove back through the main parking lot across Cloverleaf Drive. It entered the south parking lot, then headed onto another cart path and toward the golf course, Rizzo said.

Witnesses said golfers were jumping out of the way of the all-wheel drive vehicle as it veered out of control. Rizzo estimated that it was traveling upwards of 50 mph as Lazear frantically attempted to bring it to a stop.

Once the car was on the course, Lazear drove over fairways of the second and third holes before clipping Higinbotham's golf cart and striking the two trees.

"We heard what sounded like a vehicle and turned around and saw what we thought was an SUV coming right toward us. You know, it was accelerating the whole time, and I clearly remember the turf flying from under its wheels as it was coming toward us," Higinbotham said.

"Yeah, it was really flying at that point," said Shephard, an employee of U.S. Steel Corp.'s Clairton Works.

"Once we got out of the way our main concern was getting those people out of that burning car. That's all we thought about and I can't imagine what they were thinking going through all that," Higinbotham said.

The car was destroyed. Rizzo said police are still investigating the cause of the accident.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

I live exactly 1 mile from the course.

Golfers pull five from burning car - Tribune-Review

"The brakes failed."

So many things you could do if this happens, down shifting, turning the car off, putting the car in neutral...

[Lathum]

This is why I think you need to be retested for a drivers license starting at 65.

[dacman]

My guess -- wrong pedal.

[BishopMVP]

Originally Posted by DanGarion

"The brakes failed."

So many things you could do if this happens, down shifting, turning the car off, putting the car in neutral...

I don't know... I mean, the guy only drove through 3 parking lots, around a hole, hit a parked car and was still going 50 after turning into a golf course entrance. Clearly that's a mechanical problem and he had no time to take any other action.[/sarcasm]

The elderly scare me more than drunk drivers.

[DanGarion]

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DOOOOOOOOO!

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by dacman

My guess -- wrong pedal.

99 times out of 100 when older drivers plow into a building, crowd of people or golf course, this is your answer right here.

[Mustang]

A car crashing on a course is more like Happy Gilmore, NOT Caddyshack.