Conner Groom, a 22-year-old from Clacton-on-Sea, died five weeks after suffering a catastrophic spinal injury during a work Christmas party at Topgolf in Chigwell, Essex, in December 2021. His group had been drinking heavily before heading to the golfing bays, where they began pushing each other into the safety netting despite repeated warnings from staff.

At around 10:08 p.m., Groom had just hit a golf ball when a friend ran up behind him and pushed him as part of the horseplay. Groom fell over the safety net from the first floor, dropping around 12 feet and landing face-first on the driving range below. His foot reportedly became caught momentarily in the netting, leaving him with no control over his landing.

Groom was taken to the Royal London Hospital that night, but he died on January 25, 2022. His proposed cause of death was a hypoxic brain injury resulting from traumatic spinal cord injury. His friend was initially arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm without intent, but the charge was later dropped.

The senior coroner concluded that Groom’s death was a misadventure caused by “inebriated but not malicious horseplay,” saying there had been no malicious intent. Following the tragedy, Topgolf introduced additional staff training, updated signage and a stricter zero-tolerance approach toward people pushing others into safety nets.