Six-year-old Utah girl dies after father accidentally hits her with golf ball: ‘This is absolutely unimaginable’
In what could be described as a freak accident, a six-year-old girl has lost her life after her father accidentally hit her with a golf ball at an Orem golf course, Utah, on Monday (15 July).
The incident happened when Aria Hill was sitting in a golf cart on the cart path, 20 yards from where her father was teeing off, at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course, around 10:30 a.m.
The golf ball reportedly veered off the course and hit Hill. Although she was airlifted by a medical helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, she succumbed to her injuries on the same day, Police Lt. Trent Colledge told the Associated Press.
“A complete, fluke accident — you couldn’t repeat it if you tried,” Hills's uncle, David Smith, said. “She just happened to be in the exact wrong place, just directly across from him, when it happened. You really can’t imagine what this is going to be like until it happens." Smith said that his niece's golf cart was not directly in front of her father when the shot went rogue. She was reportedly sitting between 45 and 90 degrees to her father's left.
He added that Hill would often accompany her father to the golf course and being his "golfing buddy," she would often stand or sit next to her father at the course. "She loved doing it and had a good time with it all," Smith said. "That was one of their things that they would do together. It was something that was really important to them and something they did all the time. "
Steven Marett, the head golf professional at the golf course, said that the incident was a rare one as he had seen many people getting hit by the ball at the course but never getting seriously injured or die from the impact.
"This is absolutely unimaginable, and it’s been devastating to see it at the course and in the community," he said.
Meanwhile, Hill's mother has set up a GoFundMe page for her. "We are so grateful for all the love, support, and prayers made in our behalf during this difficult time. We've truly felt comforted. Aria was the sassiest girl in the world. She was silly, spunky, creative, unique, and so so full of love for everyone she came in contact with. There is a huge hole in our hearts that she has taken with her back to Heaven...Fly high my little angel," the page said.