Worker hospitalized after truck falls into Mo. golf course sink hole

RIDGEDALE, Mo. (AP) – Authorities say a construction worker was injured after a pickup truck tumbled at least 100 feet into a sinkhole that’s being developed into a tourist attraction near the resort town of Branson.

Emergency crews on the scene of the accident-photo courtesy Western Taney Co. Fire

Outdoor outfitter Bass Pro says in a statement that the third-party construction contractor was backing up the truck Wednesday when the vehicle slid off a temporary path. The Western Taney County Fire Protection District says the truck fell between 100 and 150 feet. The Missouri State Highway Patrol described the worker’s injuries as serious.

The sinkhole opened up in 2015 at Bass Pro’s Top of the Rock Golf Course in Ridgedale, about 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) south of Branson. Bass Pro founder Johnny Morris said in 2016 that he hoped to discover “a new natural wonder lying below.”