Six people were injured, including two seriously, after a golf cart rolled over and all seven people on it were ejected in Antioch on the Fourth of July, police said.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Antioch Fire Department responded around 7:45 p.m. Thursday to Drexel Boulevard and Lotus Avenue in unincorporated Antioch.
Sheriff deputies found several juveniles with serious injuries when they arrived, Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.
A custom golf cart, driven by a 17-year-old Lake Barrington boy, was traveling northbound on Drexel Boulevard toward Grass Lake Road. The golf cart, which is designed to seat six people, had seven people on it, including one standing on the back bumper.
As the driver approached Grass Lake Road, he made a sharp turn causing the golf cart to roll over, Covelli said. All seven occupants were ejected from the golf cart.
The passengers were an 11-year-old Algonquin boy, 13-year-old Algonquin girl, 13-year-old Huntley girl, 15-year-old Huntley girl, 16-year-old Algonquin girl and a 26-year-old Algonquin man, police said.
All six passengers were transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with non-life-threatening injuries. Two of them suffered serious injuries.
The driver was evaluated by paramedics but not transported to the hospital.
“While it can be fun and exciting to ride in golf carts or other non-traditional vehicles, it can also be extremely dangerous. It is very fortunate this crash did not result in the tragic loss of life,” Sheriff John Idleburg said.
The crash remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Technical Crash Investigations Unit.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder to parents and others to always be extremely cautious when allowing children to operate non-traditional vehicles. Traffic laws must also always be adhered to,” Idleburg added.