Hancock County siblings sue after golf cart battery explodes days after repair
A pair of siblings from Hancock County claim in a new lawsuit their golf cart battery exploded days after they brought it in for repair.
As a result of the explosion, Kaylee Schmitt sustained permanent hearing damage and her brother, Kenneth Jr., suffered trauma.
The Schmitts are suing Gulf Coast Golf Carts, of Pass Christian, for negligence in the repair of their golf cart.
In a civil suit filed in Hancock County Circuit Court, the Schmitts say they received their fixed golf cart on March 23, 2021.
On March 29 that year, “six days after the cart was allegedly repaired, the golf cart began malfunctioning and the battery on said cart exploded in direct proximity” to the couple. They claim the cart was “improperly repaired or fixed” by Gulf Coast Golf Carts.
They are suing the business, its owner David Dreher and any employees involved in the repair.
The couple is asking for actual damages for their medical bills and distress, as well as punitive damages.
A lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument. So far, Gulf Coast Golf Carts has not responded to the suit and Dreher declined comment when reached by the Sun Herald on Wednesday.
This story was originally published May 11, 2023 at 6:00 AM.