A young man died from a ‘catastrophic’ spinal injury after a friend pushed him 12ft to the ground from a Topgolf driving range bay in a prank gone wrong, an inquest has heard.
Conner Groom, 23, from Clacton-on-Sea, fell 3.7m from the first floor of Topgolf in Chigwell, Essex, during a work Christmas party on December 21 2021.
Mr Groom went headfirst over the edge of the safety nets and died five weeks later from a spinal injury.
Essex Coroner’s Court heard how Mr Groom and his friends had been drinking throughout the evening before arriving at the venue.
After they began their session, the friends were playing pranks on each other by pushing or nudging each other to fall onto the safety nets, the inquest heard.
Conner Groom, 23 (pictured), died from a ‘catastrophic’ spinal injury after a friend pushed him off the edge of a Topgolf driving range bay
Mr Groom went headfirst over the edge of the safety nets at Topgolf (pictured) in Chigwell, Essex, during a work Christmas party on December 21 2021
Before Mr Groom was pushed by an unnamed friend, there had been seven other incidents of pushes or attempted pushes by the group.
One of Mr Groom’s friends ran up and pushed him, but instead of falling onto the net, Mr Groom 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 where his condition worsened and he died from his injuries on January 25 2022.
Detective Inspector Lydia George, from Essex Police, told the inquest how officers had taken statements from multiple people at the scene and reviewed the CCTV footage of the incident.
DI George said: ‘There was a large group of them including [the person who pushed Mr Groom] 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 were then taken upstairs to bay 36-37. The height was measured at 3.7 metres 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, the detective said.
DI George 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 meters 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.
She said the manager of the group’s booths had previously warned them to stop pushing each other into the net, and they had apologised and said they ‘wouldn’t do it again’. Following his fall, the group members were reported saying to staff ‘you have warned us enough times’.
The inquest heard how there had been seven other incidents of pushes or attempted pushes by the group before Mr Groom was pushed by an unnamed friend
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.
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 Mr Groom’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.
Coroner Lincoln Brookes said he was completely satisfied that there had been no intention of harm by anyone in Mr Groom’s group and that it had been his friend’s full intention for him to land on the safety net.
Mr Brookes 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.’
Mr Brookes said the case was a ‘terrible tragedy’ and recorded a conclusion of misadventure. He expressed his condolences to his family, saying his loss had been ‘immeasurable’ for them.