Wythe man dies in golf cart accident

By WAYNE QUESENBERRY/Staff

A 45-year-old Wytheville man died Sunday afternoon after a golf cart overturned with him, police said. Marvin Earl Smith Jr. was riding the vehicle at a residence on Crockett’s Cove Road when the accident occurred around 3:26 p.m.
According to Keith Dunagan of the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, a witness reported hearing Smith yell and then seeing the golf cart on top of the victim. The witness and another person at the scene attempted CPR but could not resuscitate Smith.
The Wythe County Rescue Squad transported Smith to Wythe County Community Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Dunagan said investigators went to the scene because of the fatality. He said there was nothing to indicate the incident wasn’t accidental.
Based on a recent report from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, there were an estimated 147,696 golf cart-related injuries in the U.S. from 1990 to 2006. The number of golf cart-related injuries increased steadily each year of the study with an increase of 132.3 percent over the 17-year study period.
Wayne Quesenberry can be reached at 228-6611 or .