The driver of a golf cart that collided Monday afternoon with a Mercedes on Morse Boulevard in The Villages has died as a result of injuries suffered in the accident.
The 74-year-old man from Holmes, N.Y. at 4:48 p.m. had been leaving the postal station on Morse Boulevard north of County Road 466 when he entered into the path of a silver Mercedes two-seater driven by a 62-year-woman who lives in The Villages, according to an accident report from the Florida Highway Patrol. She had been southbound on Morse Boulevard.
He was ejected from the golf cart as a result of the collision. He was trauma alerted to Ocala Regional Medical Center and died Tuesday from his injuries. Neither of the drivers were identified in the FHP report due to the law enforcement agency’s policy change last year.
The crash shut down Morse Boulevard late Monday afternoon during the investigation.
The most-recent death is a grim reminder of the dangers of golf carts and cars intermingling on that heavily-traveled, two-lane section of Morse Boulevard.
The death of 85-year-old Francis “Buck” Hughes when his golf cart was hit by a van on Morse Boulevard on Jan. 13, 2015 inspired neighbor Sherrie Hyer to collect more than 1,000 signatures on a petition calling on the Sumter County Commission to make changes to Morse Boulevard north of County Road 466 due to residents’ safety concerns. However, by June, the commission declared it a “dead issue,” citing the high cost of right-of-way acquisition and changes that would have to be made for drainage and ditches.
