Raymond Baxter Jr. was engaged to be married when he was fatally struck by lightning at the Bentwater Golf Club in Acworth last year. Now the 29-year-old’s parents are suing the club, claiming it failed to warn players of dangerous weather in defiance of industry standards.
Baxter, a FedEx employee, went to the private golf club with friends in the afternoon of Sept. 12, 2023, according to the complaint. They teed off at the first hole then noticed a fast-approaching storm. While running back to the clubhouse, Baxter was struck by lightning. He died in the hospital three days later.
Credit: Supplied
Credit: Supplied
The lawsuit, filed in Paulding County State Court on Dec. 16, alleges Baxter’s death was preventable.
“Any reasonable warning would have saved Raymond Jr.’s life,” the complaint says. “Preventative measures, such as weather protocols, lighting prediction or detection systems, warning sirens, or even simply stopping golfers from going off the first tee, are commonplace and expected at golf courses, yet defendants did not take even the most basic of reasonable measures.”
Four companies for the club and its management firm, Club Specialists International, are being sued by Raymond Baxter Sr. and Lesa Baxter, who live in Arkansas. The club and management firm did not immediately respond to phone and email messages about the lawsuit.
The parents allege that club employees waited five minutes before calling 911, though Baxter was just seconds from the clubhouse when the lightning strike stopped his heart. They claim no automated external defibrillator was used, as staff didn’t know whether the club had one.
“Recognizing their role in this tragedy, and apparently hoping to assuage their own guilt, defendants offered Raymond’s parents a token amount of several hundred dollars from a collection it took from other members of the Bentwater Golf Club,” the lawsuit says.
Credit: Supplied
Credit: Supplied
It is standard for golf clubs to use lightning prediction, detection and warning systems and install lightning-safe shelters on courses, according to the complaint.
Michael Lonati Jr. and Jason McManis, the attorneys representing Baxter’s parents, said the Bentwater club’s failure to have a lightning protocol or safety plan is especially surprising as Acworth experiences a high level of lightning activity compared to the United States as a whole.
“We think all golf courses should have these types of systems in place to protect their players from weather events like this,” McManis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “If golf courses start to recognize that they can be responsible for a tragic accident like this, when they could have taken steps to prevent it, that’s going to encourage more golf courses to put these systems in place. And ultimately, that’s the kind of thing that we’re hoping for.”
The U.S. Golf Association reports that the majority of golf courses do have some type of lightning protection system in place, though that’s not required by law, Lonati said. He said it’s common for lightning warning systems to be used at venues for other outdoor sports, including football and baseball.
“Unfortunately, this individual paid his life and the ultimate price for what occurred,” Lonati said.
Baxter grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and attended the University of Central Arkansas before transferring to the University of Central Florida to study marketing, the lawsuit says. He moved to Georgia for a job with FedEx and loved to play golf and other sports.
“Raymond Jr., a goal-setter with an ambitious spirit, fancied himself the next Jerry Maguire, even landing an internship with Kings Sports Agency,” the complaint says.
An online fundraiser for Baxter’s medical bills and other expenses generated $17,690.
About the Author
