Golf cart driver ejected, seriously hurt in crash in Sun City Hilton Head
A woman driving a golf cart was seriously injured after colliding with a vehicle in Sun City on Monday morning, according to police. State troopers are investigating the crash.
Beaufort County deputies and the South Carolina Highway Patrol responded around 8:45 a.m. Monday to the area of Arabella Lane and Red Dam Road, located in the Holly Hill neighborhood of Sun City Hilton Head.
Medics at the scene said the woman was ejected from the golf cart and had to be picked up off the ground, according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office incident report. A deputy noted the “entire front end of the golf cart was ripped off.”
The woman was taken to Novant Health Coastal Carolina Medical Center in Hardeeville, according to the report, and SCHP troopers assumed control of the investigation due to her “great bodily injury.”
SCHP spokesperson Cpl. Nick Pye said he did not have an update on the woman’s injuries as of Tuesday afternoon. Asked if his agency was pursuing criminal charges, he said the collision remained under investigation.
Golf cart roadway laws in South Carolina
Golf carts are allowed on Sun City roadways but are subject to existing South Carolina laws. Among other rules, drivers must be 16 years old and the vehicles must stay within 4 miles of the address listed on their registration.
Local municipalities like Bluffton and Beaufort have recently implemented their own rules for the use of golf carts, which are a preferred method of transportation for many Beaufort County residents.
Aiming to promote safety in the low-speed vehicles, the new local rules are stricter than state law in several ways. Beaufort mandates special equipment like headlights and turn signals if golf carts are driven at night, and both municipalities require all occupants use seat belts.
Local golf cart collisions aren’t uncommon, and most happen in low-speed areas. Bluffton Chief of Police Joe Babkiewicz said residents reported seven golf cart-related crashes between 2024 and August 2025, with five of those happening inside subdivisions.
