Conner Groom plunged 12 feet at TopGolf, a popular driving range in the Chigwell area of Essex, where he and his friends were playing pranks on each other after drinking
A young man died after a friend pushed him 12 feet from height in a drunken prank gone wrong at a driving range, an inquest heard.
Conner Groom and his mates had been drinking at the Christmas do and were playing pranks on each other by pushing or nudging each other to fall onto the safety nets at TopGolf, a driving range in Chigwell, Essex.
When one of the 22-year-old's friends pushed him, Mr Groom missed the net and instead went over the edge and fell to the ground, around 12 feet below. He sustained a serious spinal injury and was later taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. His condition worsened and he died of his injuries weeks later.
His inquest today heard Mr Groom and his friends had been warned by a manager at TopGolf to stop pranking, and they had told him they "wouldn't do it again". Following his fall, the group members were reported saying to staff "you have warned us enough times".
Essex Coroners' Court, which is in Chelmsford, today heard CCTV was reviewed of the incident, which happened in December 2021. Detective Inspector Lydia George, of Essex Police, told the inquest: "There was a large group of them including the defendant and Conner Groom. The party convened in Clacton where they are predominantly posted. They travelled to TopGolf.
"The group drank for a bit in the bar and then taken upstairs to bay 36-37. The height was measured at 3.7 meters or just over 12 foot. All of the CCTV shows them in good spirits and no signs of animosity. A number of times it shows the friends trying to push each other into the safety netting. It was plainly seen as a joke."
DI George said this happened several times, and that a member of security came to speak to the group about their behaviour. The man who ended up pushing Mr Groom was not involved in the previous pushing incidents, DI George said.
She continued: "Immediately before the fatal push, [Mr Groom's friend] said he was going to push Conner into the net. It was said in a joking manner. He ran to him and pushed him. It was a two-handed push. Conner Groom got a foot caught in the net and fell 3.7 metres and sustained catastrophic injuries that proved fatal."
DI George said a proposed cause of death following a lengthy stay in hospital for Mr Groom was a hypoxic brain injury by traumatic spinal cord injury. DI George said that following the death, Essex Police consulted with the Crown Prosecution Service and Mr Groom's family about whether to take further action against his friend for the push, Essex Live reports. The court heard the police eventually chose not to pursue any charge of manslaughter as the "evidential test was not met" and that the pure intention from the push was for Mr Groom to land on the safety netting.
DI George added: "The parents of Conner Groom didn't support a prosecution of [his friend]. They believed that Conner would not have wanted to support any action over him as they are good friends." DI George said the police concluded it was a "prank that resulted in a tragic accident".
Graham Jarvis, a senior environmental health officer for Epping Forest Council, conducted a review into TopGolf and its safety procedures following Conner's death. He told the court that the venue had made a number of changes to its policies following the tragic incident, including updates to its signage and a more "zero tolerance" approach to those who push people into the safety nets.
Mr Jarvis said: "A new player safety manager role has been created for every UK [TopGolf] venue. The member of staff isn't there every day but is there at the times and days where they are busiest and expect the most consumption of alcohol. They are responsible for the safety management of players." Mr Jarvis added that Epping Forest Council had been satisfied with all the changes made at TopGolf and that no enforcement action had been taken against the venue.
In his conclusions, Senior Coroner Lincoln Brookes said that he was completely satisfied that there had been no intention of harm by anyone in Conner's group and that it had been his friend's full intention for him to land on the safety net. He said: "I entirely accept that due to high spirits there was nothing malicious whatsoever.
"But it's apparent that unlike the earlier incidents his friend did take a run up and charge at Mr Groom which explains that he was pushed out more forcefully than others, and rather than landing on the netting, which was what he intended and nothing more, his momentum was such that he want straight over the netting, across it and fell head first to the ground. Alcohol had severely impaired his judgement."
Coroner Brookes said the case was a "terrible tragedy" and recorded a conclusion of "misadventure" over Mr Groom's death. He expressed his condolences to his family, saying his loss had been "immeasurable" for them.
