Golf cart takes off, runs over woman in lawn chair at campsite near Eldora Speedway

NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

A runaway golf cart struck and seriously injured a woman sitting in a lawn chair Friday afternoon at a campground near the Eldora Speedway.

Jill Koontz, 68, of Mapleton, Illinois, was struck shorty before 2:45 p.m. at the Speedy Campground at 4281 North Star Fort Loramie Road in Rossburg, according to the Darke County Sheriff’s Office.

A 63-year-old Tilton, Illinois, man, reported that he was standing beside his EZ GO golf cart at a campsite when the golf cart “took off.” The man tried to grab the golf cart to stop it, but he was dragged to the ground, the sheriff’s office reported.

The driverless golf cart continued for 25 to 30 yards before striking Koontz, who was sitting in a lawn chair.

The golf cart then hit a 2022 Freedom Traveler motorhome. Its wheels continued spinning while it was wedged under the side of the motorhome until a witness turned the ignition key, the sheriff’s office said.

Bystanders aided Koontz until deputies and medics arrived. According to initial reports, her injuries included a compound leg fracture. She was taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where she is in unknown condition.

It is not known what caused the golf cart to engage the throttle and start driving, the sheriff’s office said.

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