Bald Head Island Sued After Child's Death
By Merylee Robbins
Published on November 04, 2005
During a family vacation to North Carolina's Bald Head Island, Howard Biggers IV, 6, fell out of a moving golf cart and suffered a traumatic brain injury that lead to his death 14 months later.
Howard's parents have filed a lawsuit against the island claiming that a seat belt would have prevented their son's death. There very few cars on Bald Island and golf carts are the main form of transportation. No seat belt laws exist to regulate safety for the island's golf carts, despite the enormous danger that these open vehicles pose with out belts.
Previous to Howard's death, in response to other severe and fatal injuries, the island was engaged in a lengthy debate as to whether a seat belt laws should be created to protect those riding in carts. Three weeks before Howard's accident the village mayor of the island, Bill Berne opposed the implementation of seatbelt regulations saying that by having belts the village would be open to liability if someone were injured in a cart.
The Biggerses suit is seeking unspecified damages for the wrongful death of their son. Howard's medical bills before his death have reached over $800,000 and the family was forced to sell their $1 million dollar home to move into an apartment in order to afford his treatments. The family would like to see golf carts regulated by the same laws as cars.
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