4-year-old boy injured by golf cart at Memorial Day parade

By Faraz Javed, Brandon Speagle

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    ST. CLAIR SHORES, Michigan (WXYZ) — A 4-year-old boy was injured when a golf cart struck him on the sidewalk during St. Clair Shores’ annual Memorial Day parade on Sunday.

Jude Gajecki suffered a broken shoulder in two places and multiple bruises after being hit while standing on the sidewalk near Harper Ave. and 11 Mile, where the parade route ended.

“I walked in and there’s two doctors over him checking his ears to see if there’s bleeding coming from his eardrum or actually like further inside his ear,” said Heather Gajecki, Jude’s mother.

Heather was at a different location along the parade route when she received a call from her husband about the incident.

“As soon as we walked up to the parade, my husband called and said that he looked really banged up, but he said at the time he didn’t look like he had any broken bones or anything,” Gajecki said.

The family later learned the extent of Jude’s injuries when X-ray results revealed his broken shoulder and numerous bruises.

“It’s a lot for a 4-year-old to go through,” Gajecki said.

According to witnesses, the situation could have been much worse. Gajecki said bystanders had to stop the golf cart.

“If they didn’t stop the golf cart, Jude’s head would have been ran over, so this could be a completely different conversation right now,” Gajecki said.

An adult was also reportedly struck by the golf cart, though their condition has not been confirmed. St. Clair Shores Police have created an incident report and will investigate after the holiday.

Gajecki has many unanswered questions about the incident.

“Did he work for the city? Was he just there on the golf cart? Why was he on the sidewalks? Why did he just get to go home after hitting a 4-year-old?” Gajecki said.

Jude, who recently started playing T-ball, will likely miss the season due to his injuries. He is recovering at home with his father and is expected to heal without surgery.

“He’s doing better today, still really sore. He woke up a lot last night. As soon as the medicine starts wearing off, he’s just sore. He says it hurts a lot, starts crying,” Gajecki said. “The only thing he keeps on saying is ‘I was hit by an old man.'”

Attending the Memorial Day parade is an annual tradition for the Gajecki family, who typically gather with extended family members to enjoy the event together.

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