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Golf carts are a way of life for some people, even when they aren’t on the course. Such is life for the Moore family who use their cart for routine chores and transport around their property in Warwick. One summer day in 2023, routine became a nightmare.

Oren had been seated in the back of the cart when his dad tapped the gas, lurching the cart forward and sending Oren backward and into the ground, headfirst. His grandmother, a practicing nurse, sprung into action. At first, all seemed OK. He recovered quickly and didn’t have visible signs of fracture. As minutes ticked on, though, he began getting drowsy and vomiting—telltale signs of a concussion. He was rushed to the local emergency department where a CT scan showed a skull fracture and small brain bleed. They knew Oren needed pediatric specialists and called the Children’s Rural Access Line Pilot (CHRP) to reach neurosurgery at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite Hospital.

A summer storm with heavy rain prevented the Children’s flight team from reaching Crisp Regional hospital, so an ambulance brought him to Macon where the Children’s helicopter was able to safely land.

Oren and his mom Amanda boarded the helicopter together, and once on the helicopter, Amanda remembers being overcome by a feeling of calm.

“The nurses took charge and knew just what to do to care for him and comfort me,” said Amanda. “They reassured me they’d seen this type of injury before, explained everything they were doing and told me they had full confidence in Dr. Wrubel, the neurosurgeon who was waiting for us on the ground.”

Amanda wore a headset and could hear the constant communication between the flight team and the hospital team.

From the moment the helicopter landed on the helipad at Scottish Rite, Amanda stayed by Oren’s side—down to the Emergency Department, into a trauma room and eventually up to recovery in the PICU.

Thankfully, the swelling subsided on its own and didn’t require surgery. After three nights, Oren was discharged. Two weeks later, he’d made a complete recovery.

The Moore family shares their story on the latest Children’s podcast episode titled “Golf Cart Safety: How a Casual Ride Led to the Fight of a Lifetime,” in hopes to raise awareness of the danger of kids riding in golf carts and other recreational vehicles like ATVs. A quick tap on the gas pedal came close to forever changing life as they knew it.

Whether your kids are just now starting to use a balance bike or regularly grabbing the golf cart keys on their own, this conversation has something for you.

Listen to the 45-minute episode here or find it in your preferred streaming platform by searching “Hope Will parenting.”