A golf cart carrying four people flipped onto East Parkway in Sevier County Thursday afternoon and was struck by an SUV, leaving two of the riders injured. The crash happened at roughly 3:14 p.m. at the intersection of East Parkway and Roosevelt Drive, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The golf cart, a 2019 Club Car driven by 30-year-old Jonathan Gonzalez of Florida, lost control while turning right from Roosevelt Drive onto East Parkway and flipped over, according to WVLT. A 2019 Dodge Journey driven by 41-year-old Jessica Kawczynski of Tennessee then struck the overturned cart. Gonzalez was injured in the crash, as was 62-year-old Glenda Sprague of Michigan, the outlet reports.
Not everyone aboard the cart was hurt. Mikayal Gonzalez, 23, also of Florida, and a 7-year-old juvenile passenger were not injured, and 62-year-old Troy Sprague of Michigan was likewise unharmed, per the same account. Kawczynski, the SUV driver, was not injured either.
Seatbelts Made the Difference for Some Riders
The report notes a stark contrast in restraint use among those involved. The golf cart passengers were not wearing safety restraints, while the 7-year-old aboard the cart did have a seatbelt on, the station's report states. Kawczynski, driving the SUV that struck the flipped cart, also wore her seatbelt.
Emergency crews responded to the scene and treated the injured passengers, though their current medical conditions have not been released. The Tennessee Highway Patrol has filed no charges against either driver as its investigation continues, and troopers have released only a preliminary report on the collision so far.
What Tennessee Law Says About Golf Carts on Highways
The crash raises questions about how golf carts are permitted to interact with major roadways in the first place. Local and state authorities regulate where and how golf carts operate on public roads, and Tennessee law restricts the use of low-speed vehicles and golf carts on state highways and major parkways.
Under Tennessee Code Ann. § 55-1-123 and § 55-8-191, standard golf carts capped at 20 mph cannot be titled or registered for public road use at all — only certified Low-Speed Vehicles may travel on streets posted at 35 mph or below, according to CartFinder. Separately, Tennessee Code § 55-8-185 allows registered LSVs and off-highway vehicles to cross streets with higher posted speed limits at designated intersections, but only at roughly a 90-degree angle, per a later CartFinder report. East Parkway is designated U.S. Route 321, a multi-lane commercial arterial connecting downtown Gatlinburg to outer Sevier County and entrances to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as described by Wayro, which also notes the corridor sees heavy tourist traffic and frequent commercial turns.
To legally operate on Tennessee roads, a modified golf cart or LSV must carry FMVSS 500-compliant equipment — headlights, taillights, turn signals, mirrors, seat belts at every seat, a parking brake, a windshield, and a 17-digit VIN — according to the Collierville Police Department. It remains unclear whether the Club Car involved Thursday met that standard; the investigation is expected to determine whether speed or other factors contributed to the loss of control, per WVLT.
Rollovers Carry Outsized Injury Risk
National safety data underscores why the crash's mechanics matter. Golf cart accidents cause an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 emergency department-treated injuries nationwide each year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, as cited by Technology Associates. Passenger ejections account for roughly 38% to 40% of all golf cart injuries, and while rollovers make up only about 10% of crashes, they carry twice the likelihood of hospital admission compared to other incidents, the same analysis found — a risk tied to open-air cart designs that rely on hip restraints rather than full enclosures.
Age can compound that risk. A 2025 study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia found children under 12 account for nearly half of pediatric golf cart injuries nationwide, with close to half of those injuries — ejections and falls — causing trauma to the head, face, or neck. Separately, a CPSC report found adults 65 and older suffered an estimated 27,000 emergency department-treated golf cart injuries between 2017 and 2021, with a serious injury rate nearly five times higher than adults aged 25 to 64.
Part of a Pattern on East Tennessee Roads
Thursday's crash follows other recent golf cart incidents on East Tennessee roadways. In July, a Knoxville man was charged after stealing a UT cart and flipping it on Alcoa Highway. In May 2024, the Tennessee Highway Patrol investigated a fatal crash at Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Humphreys County, where a motorcycle struck a golf cart swerving to avoid a pothole, injuring a nearby pedestrian who later died.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol's investigation into Thursday's crash remains active, with no charges filed against either driver as of this report.
