6-year-old girl killed in freak golf course accident

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A 6-year-old Utah girl was tragically killed when an errant golf ball hit by her dad struck her in the back of the neck, according to a report.

Aria Hill was sitting in a golf cart on the cart path at the Links at Sleepy Ridge in Orem on Monday when her dad hit the ball that took her life, authorities told local station KSL.

GIRL, 6, DIES AFTER FATHER ACCIDENTALLY HITS HER WITH GOLF BALL ON UTAH COURSE, POLICE SAY

The girl was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition and then transferred to a children’s hospital, where she died later that night, police Lt. Trent Colledge told the station.

The golf cart was not positioned directly behind or in front of Aria’s dad — it was between 45 and 90 degrees to his left, Colledge said.

Aria Smith, 6, died Monday after her father accidentally hit her with a golf ball, investigators said. (GoFundMe)

Authorities are investigating the case, but don’t plan to pursue charges because it appears to have been a tragic accident.

Aria was her dad’s “golfing buddy,” her uncle, David Smith, told the outlet.

“She loved doing it and had a good time with it all,” Smith said. “That was one of their things that they would do together. It was something that was really important to them and something they did all the time.”

Steven Marrett, the head golf professional at the facility, said he’d occasionally seen people hit by balls at the course before, but no one, to his knowledge, had been killed or even injured.

A GoFund Me account set up to pay for Aria’s funeral expenses had already raised more than $12,000 of its $25,000 goal by Wednesday morning.

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“We are so grateful for all the love, support, and prayers made in our behalf during this difficult time,” Aria’s mom said in a statement on the page. “We’ve truly felt comforted. Aria was the sassiest girl in the world. She was silly, spunky, creative, unique, and so so full of love for everyone she came in contact with. There is a huge hole in our hearts that she has taken with her back to Heaven…Fly high my little angel.”