Friday, March 30, 2018

A worker was injured after the construction truck he was in fell into a massive sinkhole at Top of the Rock Golf Course in southwestern Missouri








A worker was hospitalized after the construction truck he was in fell into a massive sinkhole at Top of the Rock Golf Course in southwestern Missouri, according to reports.


The Western Taney County Fire Protection District posted on Facebook that the truck went off a ridge Wednesday morning and plunged about 100-150 feet into the sinkhole that opened in 2015. Rescue workers were able to reach the driver on a construction road.


A statement from Bass Pro Shops, whose owner also owns the property on which the golf course sits, said the worker was backing a truck when it slid into hole, the Springfield News-Leader reported. The worker has non-life-threatening injuries, according to the statement.

At approximately 11:09 a.m. Western Taney County Fire Protection District was dispatched to a report of a motor vehicle accident at Top of the Rock golf course in Ridgedale. Initial reports stated a truck went off the ridge of the sinkhole that is currently being excavated on the property. The truck traveled over the edge of the sinkhole and fell approximately 100-150 feet to the bottom. Taney County Ambulance (TCA) was first to arrive and were able to access the patient via a road into the sinkhole. TCA units reported the lone occupant of the vehicle was not trapped but was injured and stable. WTCFPD units arrived and utilized the Kubota UTV to assisted TCA units in packaging and removing the patient from the sinkhole via the construction road. The patient was transported by TCA to a local hospital.
No other injuries were reported. The incident is under investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. WTCFPD does not release the names of victims or patients. For further information please contact the MOSHP or Big Cedar public relations.






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Top of the Rock: In 2014, Morris opened Top of the Rock, which is like a mini theme park for grownups. Probably best known for its golf course, which hosts the Senior PGA Legends of Golf tournament every year, it's also known for the giant sink hole that occurred there. Morris has chosen to keep digging the sinkhole in the hopes of finding a secret passageway and uncovering a massive cave system. Top of the Rock also features the elegant Osage restaurant and a more casual Mexican restaurant fitted into Arnold Palmer’s old barn (moved to the location), a practice golf course, pro shop and the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum.


The museum features much of Morris’ own collection of Native American artifacts as well as skeletons of a woolly mammoth, a saber tooth cat, a giant ground sloth and prehistoric cave bears. Throughout, extinct animals like the bear dog and terror bird come to life in dioramas created by the same folks who did the exhibits at Chicago’s Field Museum. Recent additions to the museum include a Civil War room with not only uniforms and weapons, but also a locket with a piece of Abraham Lincoln's hair as well as a flag used in his funeral. It's hard to believe 75,000 treasures sit below the shops and restaurants, stone fireplaces and sculptures that make up Top of the Rock. "It's like the Smithsonian Institution right here in the Ozarks," Jeff Wilhoit said.


If you really want to experience the beauty of the Ozarks, don't miss Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail. You rent a golf cart ($25 per adult; $12.50 child) and head off for a one-hour-ish adventure on nature trails where you cross bridges and catch gorgeous vistas. The highlight is when you drive into a cave with a four-story waterfall and a bar with lively bat-named drinks for kids and adults.