German tourist loses part of finger on Crazy River ride at Dutch theme park Walibi
A young German man lost part of his finger on the Crazy River water attraction at Walibi theme park in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening, after his hand became trapped between the boat and the ride channel.
Accident on the Crazy River
A young German tourist lost part of a finger on the "Crazy River" water attraction at the Walibi theme park in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening, according to Dutch radio broadcaster NOS. The German newspaper Bild was the first to report the incident. Two young Germans were seated in a boat on the water ride. One of them briefly let a hand hang outside the boat, and his finger became trapped between the boat and the ride channel. Le Soir, citing NOS, reports that the man's finger was torn down to the bone.
None of the park staff noticed the accident while it was happening. The young man had to endure the entire ride, which lasted approximately three minutes, screaming loudly as his finger remained caught between the boat and the channel. Other visitors in the park heard the screams, but personnel only became aware of what had occurred after the boat returned to the station at the end of the ride.
Emergency response
Once staff realized what had happened, they called an ambulance immediately and shut down the attraction. Emergency services arrived on site to treat the victim. Le Soir reported that the park's teams intervened quickly after the accident occurred. The attraction remained closed for the rest of the evening following the incident.
- German tourist's finger trapped between boat and channel on Crazy River
- Boat returns to station, staff discover the accident
- Ambulance called, attraction closed
- Attraction reopens after safety inspection finds no defects
Reopening and safety investigation
After a safety inspection was carried out, the attraction reopened the following morning, Thursday. The park stated that the inspection found no technical defects on the ride. Walibi emphasized that, in accordance with the park's safety regulations, visitors are required to keep their hands inside the boat for the entire duration of the attraction.
The park has launched an investigation to determine whether staff were actively ensuring compliance with the safety rules during the ride. According to Le Soir, the investigation also aims to establish whether visitors were being sufficiently informed of the requirement to keep their hands inside the boat, and whether all safety procedures on the attraction were properly followed. Walibi confirmed that there were no technical malfunctions contributing to the incident.
