By Chyung Eun-ju
On a par-3 golf course where there is no caddy, a ball hits a player while he is putting. The ball came from a nearby teeing ground.
Who is responsible for compensating the injured player?
The player surnamed Yoon who hit the tee-off ball and the country club must compensate the injured player, surnamed Kim, according to Suwon District Court ruled on Sunday.
“Yoon and the country club must pay 220 million won ($195,700) to Kim,” said presiding judge Lee Jung-gwon.
The accident happened in Yongin city, Gyeonggi Province in July 2015.
Yoon’s tee shot hit Kim’s eye, rupturing his choroid, resulting in 24 percent loss of labor ability due to visual impairment. Kim filed a suit requesting compensation.
The bench calculated compensation from the amount of lost profit from Kim’s reduced labor ability until age 60, hospital costs, and consolation money of 20 million won ($18,000).
“There is a possibility that the player was hit because the holes were too close together,” said the bench. “The country club’s manager has the responsibility to put up a fence or a safety net.”
The bench dismissed a claim that the victim also should be held accountable for not taking precautions.
Yoon and the country club said Kim had the responsibility to look at his surroundings while playing.
The bench dismissed this, saying, “There was no evidence showing that Kim, who was at the seventh hole, could see that Yoon, who was at the first hole, was about to hit the ball.”
“The person in the teeing ground has the responsibility to see if there is a possibility of hitting a person.”