HARTFORD, Conn. (CN) – A golfer who had to be rescued from a pit of quicksand in Connecticut wants a court to make the Candlewood Valley Country Club pay damages.
Kenneth Falk was golfing with a friend on Sept. 24, 2015, at the public 18-hole course in New Milford when he went to go retrieve his ball that went off the fairway and into the rough. The ball "was in plain view atop some leaves," according to the lawsuit filed on Jan. 5 in Litchfield Superior Court.
When Falk went to retrieve it, however, he "suddenly and without warning, began to sink into the ground, and went all the way up to his chest,” the complaint states.
Falk says other golfers came to the rescue and pulled him to safety.
The website for Candlewood describes the club as “a challenging and scenic 18-hole public golf course with impeccable course conditions.”
An employee of the golf course, who did not give her name, said the matter has been referred to the club’s insurance carrier and declined further comment.
Falk claims the country club was negligent because it failed to warn golfers of the "quicksand conditions” on the fairway either verbally or with posted signs. He goes on to state that the country club "created the quicksand conditions by the manner in which it graded the landscape surrounding the golf course."
In addition to mental suffering, Falk claims to have suffered left knee pain and sprained his MCL, making it difficult to walk and climb stairs.
Falk is represented by James Smith of Ventura Law. The Danbury-based attorney has not returned requests for comment.
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