For John Daly, life is not filled with dull moments.
In the latest in a string of messy off-the-course stories this year alone involving the two-time major champion, Daly said a confusing set of signs at the entrance of the Bankhead Tunnel in Mobile, Ala., caused the top of his RV to be heavily damaged, with awnings and other parts hitting a Cadillac going in the other direction.
Daly said he and his 17-year-old daughter, Shynah, were shaken but not injured. The Mobile Press-Register reported that the 1998 Cadillac driven by Jimmy Roberson of Mobile sustained damage to the windshield, roof and trunk during the accident, according to the police report.
"In 17 years of driving a bus, I've never had an experience like this," Daly said Saturday. "The sign said 'No trucks, cargo or hazardous material in the right lane.' I'm reading the sign and don't see the [clearance] footage. I'm [thinking] I've got to go to the left lane, and before I know it, the roof is torn out."
Contacted by the newspaper, Roberson referred all questions to his attorney, Steve Moore.
"We're at the claims stage right now," Moore told the Press-Register. He said Roberson had significant damage to the car and "some neck and shoulder injuries."
"We'll present it as a claim and see what happens," he said. "Hopefully, we can avoid litigation."
Daly said he was unaware of any injuries when he returned to the tunnel.
"Unreal," he said.
According to the traffic accident report from the Mobile Police Department, Daly was traveling eastbound toward the tunnel. The clearance is 12 feet high, and anything that hits chains dangling from the sign will set off an alarm.
The report did not say if Daly was alerted to the alarm. He said he kept driving and picked up speed at the other end to avoid getting stuck.
He was on his way to Florida so his daughter could have lap-band surgery, the same procedure that helped Daly lose 60 pounds.
"I said, 'Honey, it's the only way I could do it,' " Daly said.
Daly recently completed a PGA Tour-imposed suspension of six months for a series of off-course incidents that brought negative publicity.
