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Video Game Stops Runaway Truck from Crashing Through Crowded Tavern
Golden Tee Golf, a popular coin-operated video game, has been recognised for many accomplishments over the years, but never before has it been called a lifesaver. On 28 April 2004, a Golden Tee Golf arcade game at the Fat Man Inn in Gurnee, Illinois, absorbed the impact of a Dodge Ram pickup that crashed into the packed bar and grill. After the front end of the truck pushed through the outside wall of the Fat Man Inn, it collided with the 500 lb. arcade cabinet. The machine absorbed the impact and landed on its back in the gaming area of the establishment, approximately 3.5 feet away from where it originally stood. Fat Man Inn General Manager, Barbara Rossman, said, "There were over one hundred people in the bar that night. When the truck came through, it sounded like a bomb! I couldn't believe the way that Golden Tee machine stood up to the impact of the truck, it was in surprisingly good shape afterwards." The Fat Man Inn is home to two Golden Tee games and has been a Gurnee landmark for over 60 years. "Usually guys come in after work and take up both machines," Ms Rossman said, "luckily, that night guys were playing on the opposite wall machine. Thank god the truck only hit the golf game and no one in the bar was injured. It even dented our steel ATM machine!"
The game's owner, A.H. Entertainers of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, has since refurbished the machine and placed it back in its original spot at the Fat Man Inn. Wally Jasonowicz, Operations Manager of A.H. Entertainers said, "This was just such an amazing story, we had to put the game back. Who knows how many more lives it might save!" he joked. According to Larry Hodgson, the designer of Golden Tee and Vice President of Product Development at Incredible Technologies, the manufacturer of the game, he never imagined that his creation would be considered a hero. "Most of the time we get complaints about how heavy the machine is, " he said. "Maybe now our amusement operators and locations will have a different opinion and look at its considerable size as a benefit!"
PICTURED: (LEFT) The Fat Man Inn's Golden Tee Golf game lies on its back after absorbing the impact of a runaway pickup truck. (RIGHT) The runaway pickup truck that collided with the Fat Man Inn waits to be towed to the scrap yard. No one was hurt in the crowded bar.
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