Jersey Shore town sued after 11-year-old driving golf cart in drunk driving simulation injures bystanders

A Jersey Shore man and an out-of-state family are suing Wildwood and its police department, alleging negligence when a child operating a golf cart crashed the vehicle into several bystanders at National Night Out in 2024. Christopher Hines, of Wildwood, along with David Galambos and his grandson, both of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, were struck by the vehicle when it left an enclosed course at Fox Park. Hines, Galambos and the child sustained neck injuries, as well as burns and abrasions, according to a lawsuit filed in Cape May County Superior Court in August. Hines and the boy also sustained back injuries, the lawsuit states. The complaint names Wildwood, its police force, Jonathan Goraj, the officer overseeing the course, and the National Association of Town Watch, which founded the event in 1984, as defendants. A city spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In total, five people were injured in the crash and taken to Cooper University Cape Regional Hospital in Cape May Court House, Wildwood officials previously said. Wildwood's National Night Out is one of many held annually across New Jersey to foster community-police relations. Wildwood officials previously said the simulation course had been part of the event for 20 years as a lesson on driving while under the influence. According to the lawsuit, Goraj accompanied an 11-year-old attendee in the golf cart. A course was set up in the park's ball field and included orange barriers that were about 4 feet high. As part of the exercise, the child navigated the course while wearing goggles that simulated intoxication. While driving, the child accelerated and lost control of the low-speed vehicle, causing it to leave the course and plow into an area of display tables set up by event sponsors, the lawsuit states. The cart also struck Hines, Galambos and Galambos's grandson who were standing nearby with the boy's mother, sibling and grandmother, none of whom were physically injured, the lawsuit states. Hines and the Ohio family argue Goraj, who was seated in the golf cart, failed to help the child veer away from the crowd or stop the vehicle. The lawsuit seeks punitive and compensatory damages for injuries the three people sustained. James Wells, a Philadelphia-based attorney who filed the lawsuit, did not respond to a request for comment.