Gerrard Kaonga
A stupid prank between friends saw a man lose his life in a preventable incident at a golf driving range.
Conner Groom, 22, had traveled with his coworkers to a Topgolf facility in Chigwell, Essex, UK, for a Christmas party in December 2021.
However, the night would take a turn when he would end up seriously injured and on his way to hospital, before later passing away.
A recent inquest held in May this year shed more light into his death.
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The inquest, held in Chelmsford, revealed the group had been ‘drinking heavily’ after traveling via coach from Weeley, near Clacton-on-Sea, to the venue on December 21.
They arrived around 7pm and had some alcoholic drinks at the bar before heading to their booth on the second floor of the two-story venue an hour later.
The inquest heard how the group had been ‘having a laugh’ by pushing each other into the safety net at the end of the golfing bays.
Topgolf’s code of conduct rules clearly state individuals should take extra care while on the second level of the driving range.
The first safety rule states: “Never Jump or Push Others Into the Safety Nets - It is extremely dangerous to jump, or push others into the safety nets.”
The other rules also instruct customers to keep back from the edge and for other guests to stay behind a red line while a person is taking a shot.
While at the venue the group were warned by staff on several occasions to stop ‘messing around’.
By this point, Groom had already been pushed into the netting two times and had pushed one of his friends into the netting too.
Not long after 10pm Groom stepped up to take a shot when one of his mates told another that he intended to push him into the netting once again.
The friend, Ben Gardner, then came running from behind after the shot, making Groom fall over the safety net and fall around 12-feet.
His leg is believed to have gotten entangled in the netting as he fell, meaning the 22-year-old went face-first into the ground below with ‘no control whatsoever over how he landed’.
Groom was then taken to the Royal London Hospital that night, however, he passed away on January 25, 2022.
The cause of death that was given a hypoxic brain injury by traumatic spinal cord injury, as per MailOnline.
While Gardner was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm without intent, the charges ended up being dropped.
Since the incident, the venue has improved its staff training around potential health risks. Guests who push people onto the safety netting would now be immediately removed.
Senior environmental health officer for Epping Forest Council, Graham Jarvis told the court at the time: "A new player safety manager role has been created for every UK [TopGolf] venue. The member of staff isn't there every day but is there at the times and days where they are busiest and expect the most consumption of alcohol. They are responsible for the safety management of players."