WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — We have a better understanding of what happened the morning a golf cart hit an 87-year-old man sitting outside Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.

Gary Kirkman died from his injuries. His son, Timothy Kirkman, feared his father would never leave the hospital. He sat by his side for days without his dad saying a word. Most of what he learned about the crash came from his mother who was also injured.

Here is the timeline of events, Gary and his wife Ruth were sitting on a bench in the valet area outside the hospital. Ruth spotted a golf cart, used to shuttle people from the parking garage to other buildings, coming straight at them. She was able to move her legs out of the way, but Gary’s legs were hit. The bench they were on flipped and broke the glass window that was behind them.

The couple’s son did not see the crash but confirms he heard it as he headed to pick his mom and dad up on April 14. He witnessed medical staff and security running over to help.

Gary was rushed into emergency surgery, two days later, on April 16 at 7:06 p.m. he passed away. His death certificate lists the cause of death as complications of lower extremity fractures and blunt trauma of the legs.

FOX8 reached out to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Health for comment.

They only provided this statement which reads in part, “We have reached out to the family to express our deepest condolences. The other people who were injured were treated and released. While we have every indication this was a tragic accident, we are conducting a thorough investigation to learn exactly how this occurred, and, most importantly, to ensure an event such as this does not happen again.”

According to the family, they did not see anyone operating the golf cart that hit them. They have hired an attorney who we have reached out to several times by phone and email to get details of the wrongful death claim attorney Adam Linett is expected to file. He has not responded to our requests.