Man Accidentally Killed After ‘Prank Gone Wrong’ at Golfing Range, Inquest Finds
The incident occurred at a Topgolf in Essex, England, in December 2021
getty
Golf rangeA U.K. man's 2022 death after he tumbled over 12 feet at a TopGolf in Essex, England after being pushed by a friend has been ruled accidental in a recent inquest.
On Thursday, May 23, Essex senior coroner Lincoln Brookes ruled Conner Groom died by misadventure, BBC News and Essex Live reported. Per the U.K.'s coroner's guide, death by misadventure occurs "from some deliberate human act which unexpectedly and unintentionally goes wrong."
The accident occurred as a result of "inebriated but not malicious horseplay" the coroner's report read, per BBC.
Groom fell about 12 feet after being pushed over a safety net by his best friend at a TopGolf location in Chigwell, Essex, on Dec. 21, 2021.
The pair were at a Christmas party where their group was reportedly "drinking heavily" when his best friend pushed him as a prank. Per Essex Live, video footage shows the group of friends in good spirits, jokingly trying to push each other onto the safety net before Groom fell.
"A number of times it shows the friends trying to push each other into the safety netting. It was plainly seen as a joke," Detective Inspector Lydia George said during the inquest. She also noted that staff at the golfing location came up to the group and asked them to stop "messing around."
Groom sustained a traumatic cervical spinal cord injury and a hypoxic brain injury from the 12-foot fall.
He was rushed to Royal London Hospital, where he spent a month before he died on Jan. 25, 2022.
In his ruling, Brookes said that per evidence, the "last thing" Groom's friend wanted was for him to die.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Per a safety officer at the inquest, TopGolf has "improved its staff training around potential health risks" for its staff after Groom's death, BBC News reported.
Additionally, if a guest were to be seen pushing someone into the safety netting they would be removed.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
