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Man drives golf cart off cliff at Pala Mesa Resort
By: YVETTE URREA and QUINN EASTMAN - Staff Writers | ∞
PALA MESA -- A 65-year-old Irvine man was killed in front of three friends Tuesday morning when he rode his golf cart over a 75-foot-high cliff and crashed down onto Old Highway 395, authorities said.
The crash happened at 10 a.m. at the Pala Mesa Resort golf course north of Highway 76, said California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Kerns. Authorities got the first 911 calls just four minutes later.
"It's a sheer drop of 75 feet with rock outcroppings, a sheer rock face," Kerns said. "He rode down on the golf cart most of the way until it overturned near the bottom part."
North County Fire Protection District spokesman John Buchanan said that firefighters tried to administer lifesaving efforts, but the man was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was hurt.
The medical examiner's officer said the man was identified as Edwin Payne, who is survived by his wife, Clara Payne, he said.
Kerns said the horrific scene happened in front of Payne's former co-workers. Payne had joined the group of three men, who were in town for an industry conference. All worked in the real estate industry.
The men told officers that Payne had just teed off from the second hole on the facility's southern 18-hole course, but he lost his first ball, which went off into the brush, Kerns said. He was unable to locate the ball, so he hit another one and was headed toward his friends who were ahead of him, he said.
His friends told officers that Payne got back into the electric golf cart that was parked on the grass and went to get on a concrete path, Kern said.
"As his golf cart traveled off the lawn area and onto the concrete cart path in a southerly direction, the golf cart began to bounce around. It appeared that he lost control of the cart as it veered over the east curb of the cart path and down an embankment where it eventually went off a sheer cliff," Kerns said.
The cart jumped the concrete path's 6-inch curb and first went 30 feet down a slope with brush and trees, then over the cliff, the officer said.
The two-seat golf cart overturned near the bottom of the cliff. The impact crushed the vehicle, ripped off the roof and tore a seat off, he said. Payne was thrown into the southbound lane of Old Highway 395, Kerns said.
The Highway Patrol closed the road for about a quarter-mile in each direction until about 12:30 p.m. for the investigation, he said. The golf course and the entrance to the resort remained open.
Authorities are investigating what caused Payne to drive off the cliff. The crash happened so quickly that his friends did not know why he drove off the path, Kerns said. It was also unclear how fast he was going in the cart, which has a top speed of 12 mph, he said.
Golfers at the Pala Mesa Resort at lunchtime said it was hard to imagine how the golf cart could make it over the concrete path's 6-inch curb and through the brush between the course and the highway without stopping.
"From what we understand, it was a very unfortunate accident," said the resort's general manager, John Martin.
The Highway Patrol impounded the golf cart and will inspect it to determine if any mechanical defect or malfunction could have contributed to the crash, Kerns said. Alcohol was not suspected as being a factor in the crash, he said.
County crisis volunteers were called to the scene to help the friends of the man who died, Kerns said.
-- Contact staff writer Yvette Urrea at (760) 901-4076 or yurrea@nctimes.com or Quinn Eastman at (760) 740-5412 or qeastman@nctimes.com.
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John wrote on May 22, 2007 8:32 PM:Maybe this guy had a medical condition that caused him todrive off the cliff? A triple bogey on the previous hole may be the culprit as well.
KP wrote on May 22, 2007 10:29 PM:Hey john ur a true donkey for even joking about this unfortunate accident where a "man" lost his life!!!!!
BUCK wrote on May 23, 2007 1:11 AM:Then people wonder why I don't golf. Guy lost his life over a $3 dollar golf ball. Whats the point?
Respect wrote on May 23, 2007 7:09 AM:John, I wonder how you have been raised and what makes you think it is in any way shape or form appropriate to make a joke about this unfortunate accident where a man lost his life. How do you think his widow will feel when she reads this crude and insensitive comment?
Jenean H. wrote on May 23, 2007 7:27 AM:This wonderful man was a friend of mine and loved by anyone who met him. He gave -to his friends & family, his community and to our First Team Irvine office- from his warm and generous heart, day in and day out. He was preparing to retire and move with his wife to Louisiana where they were building their retirement home. He will truely be missed.
Thor wrote on May 23, 2007 8:09 AM:What an awful and bizarre accident. I am very curious to find out how this happened.
Life.... wrote on May 23, 2007 8:28 AM:People die every day. At least he died doing something he enjoyed.
PM wrote on May 23, 2007 8:46 AM:This is such an unfortunate accident. I had a similar accident at San Geronimo Golf Course northern CA. I lived to tell the story but am permanently disabled. Golf courses need to do a better job at protecting the patrons. The path I went off of was not wide enough for two carts to pass and I moved over to let an oncoming cart go by. There was a hidden 15ft drop, complicated by a 12inch drop at the edge of the path that was filled in with leaves. My cart went into that hole and I was thrown out into the 15ft ravine. My sympathy goes out to Mr Paynes family. PM
Parwit wrote on May 23, 2007 9:14 AM:I'm with JOHN and BUCK in this, not KP.
Louise wrote on May 23, 2007 9:43 AM:How horribly tragic for this man, his widow and friends. I guess Pala Mesa needs to put up a fence so something like this never happens again. My heart goes out to the family.
Sean C. wrote on May 23, 2007 10:07 AM:He probably had a stroke or a heart attack quite possibly brought on by the thought of retiring. My father died of a heart attack a week after retiring. I`m taking 81 mg aspirin & fish oil gel caps. Live life, you never know when your time will come. My condolences to his family.
MB wrote on May 23, 2007 2:14 PM:John, Buck and Parwit, hope that when you die that you will all be laughing and that all of your friends and family say that at least they died doing what they loved to do. You three are SICK!
Abunker wrote on May 23, 2007 2:27 PM:There are more hazards on a golf course other then being struck by an errant tee shot. I had a friend twist his ankle by stepping on a partially covered sprinkler head. I saw one guy drive his cart into a lake fronting a tee box.. for no apparent reason. One course I played had a hot dog truck parked at the end of a par 5.. a ball went into the truck and landed in a pot of boiling water. The resulting splash scalded the vendor inside.. his screams could be heard for miles. We think of golf as a peaceful excercise.. but there are dangers. My prayers go out to the family. Gee, to retire and have that happen.. incredible.
MB wrote on May 23, 2007 2:32 PM:I hope that John, Buck, Parwit and Life all are doing something that they like to do when they DIE. This way at least all of their friends and/or family will be able to say "Well, at least they were doing something that they like". You are all SICK!!!
Pablo wrote on May 23, 2007 3:16 PM:What kind of idiot builds a golf course next to a cliff? ...
To "Pablo" wrote on May 23, 2007 3:26 PM:Have you ever hear of Torrey Pines???
BUCK wrote on May 23, 2007 5:58 PM:Thank You MB... I hope that I die doing something I love to do so my friends and family will celebrate my life laughing and carrying on about how I lived life...I just won't die golfing. Or driving my golf cart over a cliff!
Sam I am wrote on May 23, 2007 6:04 PM:Yep lost his life hunting a $3 dollar golf ball. That ball could have gone through the windshield of an innocent driver on 395, and killed them. Reminds me of allot of golf jokes. Thats golf. Hit the ball drink a beer hit the ball drink a beer...Or the one about the guy who had a heart attack golfing. What did his buddies do? Hit the ball drag Charlie...Hit the ball drag Charlie. Lighten up folks he died while golfing. Don't take life so seriously, Its only temporary.
Karl wrote on May 23, 2007 7:43 PM:There are some sick and perverted posts here. You know who you are. My condolences to the family.
Sam wrote on May 23, 2007 9:28 PM:What's wrong with being respectful? If someone dies in a freak accident, does that make their death not worthy of respect?
Dear Sam wrote on May 23, 2007 10:32 PM:I'm with you...sam
Kwijibo wrote on May 24, 2007 6:57 AM:I blame George Bush (which actually means Karl Rove and Dick Cheney). If anything bad happens, they are the reason why.
MAUREEN wrote on May 24, 2007 8:26 AM:My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife & family. For whatever reason this man is no longer with us give him and his family some respect for they might read these. Personally I've been to Pala Mesa and it is very easy to take your cart over the path they should have further precautions such as some type of barrier if the course is near drop offs.
Me wrote on May 24, 2007 10:57 AM:The people who write the disrespectful comments are probably just losers who don't have much of a life and go site to site looking for something to post that they think is clever. They probably wouldn't even know how to swing a golf club if their life depended on it.. let them be, they are worthless...
Bob wrote on May 24, 2007 6:38 PM:I feel sympathy for the family but at the same time, when my time comes, I hope that people will be able to say that he was out doing something that he loved to do. From reading some of these posts, it would seem that the posters would be happier if he had been doing something that he hated to do when he died and that he should not be out enjoying his life. I think that is truly twisted.
I agree wrote on May 28, 2007 2:21 AM:I agree with "ME". I second that one! It really is sad that some people make horrible comments. Karma will find them in time. On another note, so sad about the guy who lost his life. My thoughts with the family and friends.
Keith P wrote on May 28, 2007 2:08 PM:Sorry folks, I just can't get as outraged, incensed or upset as some of you can over a few whimsical remarks, NONE of which, I might add, said ANYTHING disparaging about the deceased! When I die I hope it's in a manner worthy of some real knee-slappers! Why does death require a morose, solemn, pious, etc. aura about it? Many of us believe it's a wonderful & welcome step into an even more wonderful & fascinating place, so why not respect a point of view other than just your own?
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