A man is dead after the golf cart he was riding in became submerged in a canal at the Golf Course at Terra Lago in Indio, California, on Monday, just a few miles from the three courses set to host this week’s PGA Tour stop.
The man, who was an employee of the golf course and was in a maintenance cart belonging to the course, had been riding on the golf course path before ending up in the canal, Indio Police public information officer Ben Guitron said. Officers and firefighters responded to the course just after 2 p.m., he said.
“We’re going to wait and see what the results are from the coroner’s office, but it appears they may have drowned as a result of the accident. But that’s all preliminary information,” Guitron said.
The cart was described as being a caged cart that was submerged on its side in the canal, according to a tweet from CalFire/Riverside County Fire Department. Guitron said it is common for carts for employees to have a cage around them to protect riders from golf balls on the course.
Technical Rescue:rpt@3:02 p.m. 84000blk. Terra Lago Pkwy, Indio. 1 caged, maintenance golf cart submerged on its side in a canal, w/1 victim inside. FF’s removed golf cart from the canal, victim perished at the scene. Indio PD and Riverside County Coroner investigating. #CanalIC pic.twitter.com/zNEY48zlI0
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) January 18, 2022
Firefighters pulled the cart from the canal and the man was declared dead at the scene. The incident is under investigation by both the Riverside County Fire Department and the Indio Police.
The name of the victim was not immediately released.
Guitron said his department is currently investigating the incident as an accident but does not yet know about the state of the driver or what led to the crash. That information should become clearer once the coroner completes its investigation, he said.
Guitron said police investigators will likely be on the course investigating for a few more hours.
As of 5:40 p.m., officers could be seen on the south course near the 10th tee and 12th green roughly 100 yards from Terra Lago Parkway.
Desert Sun staff writer Larry Bohannan contributed to this report.
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