ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — UPDATE: Action News Jax contacted Baptist Health to see how the teen is recovering. He is said to be in good condition, according to the hospital.
The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office responded to a 14-year-old boy falling out of a golf cart and hitting his head Tuesday afternoon, police say. The victim was taken by air ambulance to a Jacksonville hospital.
The incident happened off North Durbin Parway in Northwest St. Johns County.
Action News Jax's Ryan Nelson talked to a family friend who received a message from the boy’s mother. That family friend said the boy is being taken to an intensive care unit with a head injury, but does not look like he has bleeding that requires intervention. He is expected to be OK and is in a medically induced coma.
SJSO said six children youger than 18 were on the golf cart. Deputies on scene told Nelson that fireworks were involved and one of the boys fell off the golf cart, hitting his head.
In a social media post Tuesday night, the boy’s mother says he lost consciousness and began to have seizures after falling from the back of the cart. She says the boy landed on his head.
“He has tested negative for inter-cranial bleeding and has good results on both his CT scan and X-Rays,” she said in the post. “As a result, he will NOT be needing neurosurgery at this time. Praise God.”
She went on to say he’s still in a medically induced coma as doctors monitor his progress and is breathing with the help of a ventilator.
"We appreciate all the love and support, everyone has been amazing,” she went on to say in the post. “We are asking everyone to please pray for a full recovery and may God receive all the glory.”
Neighbors tell Action News Jax they’re seeing more and more golf carts on their streets and feared something like this could happen.
“You know, this is not a golf cart community,” Cari Lagunovich said. “And yet, you see them all through the neighborhood.”
Deputies are reminding those using the golf carts to make sure they’re well-versed in the laws surrounding the use of such vehicles in St. Johns County. The county passed an ordinance in 2018 regulating the use of golf carts.
A link to the ordinance can be found here.
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