A golf cart crash on Siesta Key, Longboat Key, or a Lakewood Ranch street is not a “small” wreck. Carts sit high, have no crumple zone, and often carry families without seat belts. Florida still gives you two years in most injury cases. Call (941) 923-7700. Buckman, Buckman & Castellano, P.A. has practiced from 2023 Constitution Blvd in Sarasota since 1998. Amiee and Drake Buckman built this office. Their daughters now practice here too.
This page is for people hurt in a golf cart or low-speed vehicle. If a car, truck, or rideshare hit you instead, start with our Sarasota car accident page. If a vacation rental or Airbnb property is in the mix, also read our vacation rental and Airbnb pages.
Where these crashes happen on the Suncoast
Siesta Village lets golf carts on posted streets. Longboat Key, The Meadows, Palmer Ranch, and Lakewood Ranch neighborhoods do the same in pockets. People drive carts from a condo to dinner, across a course parking lot, or down a service road next to a canal. One bad turn, a drunk driver in a cart, or a car that never saw the cart, and you are in Sarasota Memorial with a head or spine injury.
We take files from Sarasota County, Manatee County, and Charlotte County. You do not have to live here. Tourists get hurt on these streets every season.
Why a golf cart claim is not a PIP claim
Florida no-fault (PIP) is built for motor vehicles. A golf cart is often insured under a homeowners policy, a country-club policy, an HOA policy, or a rental-company policy. That changes who you notify and how fast. PIP’s $10,000 medical limit does not magically appear on a cart crash the way it does after a car crash on US 41.
We still look at every policy that might apply: the cart owner, the driver if different, the course, the HOA, a rental outfit, and any car that hit the cart. If the other driver had no coverage, we look at your own uninsured motorist benefits. That is a separate page: uninsured motorist.
Who can be responsible
- The cart driver who drank, sped, or carried more people than the cart was built for.
- A car or truck driver who failed to yield on a posted cart street.
- A golf course or HOA that left a cart in the fleet with bad brakes, bald tires, or no lights after dusk.
- A rental shop that handed keys to someone who was obviously impaired.
- A property owner who left an unmarked drop-off, a missing path light, or a drainage grate in the cart path.
We do not guess. We pull the incident report, 911 audio, course camera if it exists, and the maintenance log on that cart.
Injuries we see after cart crashes
Carts dump passengers onto asphalt or into a canal. We see facial fractures from the windshield bar, wrist and shoulder breaks from the fall, brain injuries without a helmet, and spine injuries when someone is thrown. Children ride on laps. That is a child injury file, not a “fender bender.”
Get photographed injuries and the cart the same day if you can. Do not give a recorded statement to an insurer before you talk to us.
What to do in the first 48 hours
Call 911 if anyone is hurt. Sarasota County Sheriff and Sarasota Police both write cart crashes. Ask for the report number. Photograph the street sign that allowed carts, the lighting, the other vehicle, and every passenger. Get names. Save the rental agreement if this was a resort cart.
See a doctor even if you “feel fine.” Concussions hide for a day. If the crash was on a course, tell the club in writing that you were hurt. Do not sign a release at the pro shop.
How we handle the file
Amiee, Drake, and the lawyers in this office try these cases in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit. We know the judges, the local insurers, and the difference between a Siesta Key village street and a private path at The Meadows. You call the office. We come to the hospital if you cannot travel. The consult is free. You do not pay a fee unless we recover.
We will not inflate a claim. We will not hide a fact from you. If the cart driver was your spouse, we still map the insurance. If you were the passenger, that matters.
Is a golf cart crash a car accident case?
Sometimes a car is involved, and then it is both. The car driver’s insurer may owe you. The cart’s policy may owe you. We file against the policies that actually cover the wreck, not the label on a web page.
How long do I have to file a golf cart injury claim in Florida?
Most Florida personal injury cases must be filed within two years. Some claims against a city, county, or public hospital have shorter notice rules. Call this week, not next year. (941) 923-7700.
Do I need a Sarasota lawyer if I live out of state?
Yes if the crash happened here. The witnesses, the club, and the court are here. We represent visitors as a regular part of this docket. See also our tourist accident page.
Ready to talk
Call Buckman, Buckman & Castellano, P.A. at (941) 923-7700. 2023 Constitution Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34231. Tell us it was a golf cart. We will take it from there.
Contact us for a free consultation
We work with clients in Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, North Port, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and throughout Florida. Get in touch with us today and tell us what happened to you. We will review your case for free and with no further obligation from you.
Buckman, Buckman & Castellano, P.A.
