TV weatherman Declan Teague caused a minor storm when he boomed a drive off the sixth tee at his local golf club, a court heard yesterday.
The ball hit a stone marker and rebounded, striking another player.
Mr Teague (33), who presents the weather on BBC Northern Ireland, was sued for negligence in the High Court in Belfast by Mr Thomas Noade (66), a fellow member of Ardglass golf club, Co Down. The men were in a club competition in June 1998 when the accident happened on the par-five sixth hole.
Mr Teague, of West Point, Killough, pulled out his driver. The longest hitter in the club, he let it rip. But he caught the ball low down, he said, and it flew into a green stone marker a few yards along the tee.
"I heard two cracks, like slight noises, but could not see my ball up the fairway," he said. "I turned around and saw Mr Noade jumping about. He was holding his leg and my ball was beside him."
Mr Noade, a retired plasterer, of Cumber Grange, Drumaness, Co Down, said in his statement of claim that when Mr Teague teed off the green marker stone was in his line of play. He said the ball flew low and struck the stone before rebounding and hitting him on the knee. His kneecap was fractured and the injury meant he had to give up his part-time job as a plasterer and his twice-weekly game of golf.
Frank O'Donoghue, barrister for Mr Noade, argued that as an experienced and capable golfer Mr Teague should have been aware of the risk he took by lining up his shot where he did. "The foreseeability of harm to the plaintiff was extremely high even though the risk was small," he said.
Fraser Elliott QC, for Mr Teague, submitted he had not been negligent. "It was a freak accident and no one foresaw this happening," he said.
Judgment was reserved by Mr Justice Sheil.