34-year-old from Houston dies in golf cart accident at Houston Astros owner's golf course

PORT ST. LUCIE, Florida (KTRK) -- A Houston man has died after falling off a golf cart at a golf course community owned by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane.

Police in Port St. Lucie, Florida, identified the victim as 34-year-old Christopher Cipra, who was involved in the incident that happened at the Floridian National Golf Club late Tuesday night.

A preliminary investigation revealed three individuals left the clubhouse in a golf cart and were traveling back to a residence in the community, police said.

"The cart then went over a raised manhole cover, causing the victim who was standing in the rear of the golf cart to fall off and hit the roadway," Port St. Lucie police wrote in a news release.

The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two other people who were sitting inside the cart were not hurt.

Police later determined that 53-year-old John Hehr, of Spring, was the operator of the cart. Hehr was arrested on a DUI manslaughter charge, though, police did not elaborate on any additional facts leading to his charge.

A check of jail records in Florida showed Hehr posted a $50,000 bond and was released.

Crane purchased the Floridian National Golf Club in 2010, after which renovations were made to refresh the community, the course's website said.

Floridian National is also a 40-minute drive from the Astros' spring training home in West Palm Beach.

Eyewitness News reached out to the Astros to see whether Crane knew any of the men involved. They gave no comment.

Contact was also made with Floridian National, but as of late Wednesday night, they had not responded to requests for comment.