Lunch at the golf course turned into a legal saga for Thomas Graham, a man in his mid-50s who works as a commander with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. A jury has now handed him a $1.4 million verdict after a lawn mower at Heartwell Golf Course launched a forgotten golf ball through a café window, sending a shard of glass into his left eye. The freak accident left Graham with nerve damage and chronic pain, and he remains in ongoing ophthalmologic care while still reporting for duty. It is a costly reminder that even routine groundskeeping can turn dangerous when machinery meets stray debris.
On Tuesday, a 12-person jury awarded Graham $1.4 million for pain and mental suffering, according to court documents reviewed by the Long Beach Post. The outlet reports that the incident occurred on June 14, 2024, while Graham was at Heartwell with his son, when a mower struck a ball left in the grass. The ball rocketed through the café window and into Graham's face. A lawsuit filed in October 2024 says a small shard of glass entered his left eye, causing lasting nerve damage and a relentless sensation that something is stuck there.
Heartwell is one of several Long Beach municipal courses managed by American Golf Corporation, which includes the course in its portfolio and operates dozens of facilities across the country. The course's own website describes Heartwell as a par-3 layout with an on-site café, the very spot where the ball and glass burst into the dining area. That setup puts maintenance choices and equipment configurations, including how mowers are outfitted, in the hands of the operator and its contractors.
According to the Long Beach Post, American Golf admitted liability before the trial, in part because the mowing equipment allegedly lacked basic safety features such as deflectors that could have kept the ball from turning into a high-speed projectile. Jon Davidi, one of Graham's attorneys, told the paper that the injuries have changed Graham's personality because “just being in pain all the time would make him more irritable,” and he called the jury's verdict “wholly appropriate” for recognizing “what was taken from him.” Lawyers for American Golf did not respond to requests for comment, the Post reports.
What the verdict could mean for courses
Legal analysts say the outcome could push municipal and private course operators to take a harder look at mower guards and pre-mow ball-sweep procedures to cut down on the risk of flying debris. California appellate courts have confronted related safety questions before, including a case involving injuries tied to course fixtures, according to Justia. The verdict may spur tighter maintenance inspections and added equipment safeguards at public courses and country clubs alike.
Graham is expected to continue seeing ophthalmologists as he weighs treatment options, and his lawyers say the award reflects the lasting toll of the injury. For now, the case stands as an unusual and expensive example of how a single missed ball and a passing mower can team up to cause life-altering harm.
