The 17-year-old Jochem Verzijl from Wijk en Aalburg was stuck for hours on Saturday at a height of 30 meters in a roller coaster in Plopsaland in Belgium. With a body temperature of only 33 degrees and numb legs, he had to be rescued by the fire brigade. “It was super cold,” says Jochem.
The emergency services of our southern neighbors raised the alarm on Saturday when carts from the popular roller coaster The Ride to Happiness came to a stop at a great height. Nine people were in the carts, including 17-year-old Jochem from Wijk en Aalburg.
His track record from that day shows that he is a true roller coaster fan. It was his tenth ride in the attraction, which opened last year, in which people are catapulted and flipped five times. His father thought it was enough after one time. “He was already done with it then. But he grants me my pleasure, so he let me have my way,” says Jochem. And so Dad Verzijl was waiting downstairs, unaware that he wouldn’t be hugging his son until six hours later.
After being launched, the roller coaster suddenly stopped at a height of 30 meters. “At first everyone was super enthusiastic. It was still light and the view over Plopsaland was very beautiful. Everyone cheered,” says de Brabander. But that laughter soon faded. The torrential rains and aftermath of Storm Eunice made it feel icy cold up there. “I was wearing thick clothes, but because of the rain I was completely soaked.”
As it got dark, the emergency services were massively present at the attraction. The fire brigade had great difficulty in freeing the daredevils. The bucket of the crane in which the rescuers were seated was spinning due to the strong wind. Jochem didn’t get any of that at first. He was sitting all the way up front and couldn’t see what was happening below him.
There was no one next to him. Behind him – in the opposite direction – was a German boy, but communication was difficult. “It was blowing so hard that I could hardly understand him. I felt quite lonely.”
After a few hours, Jochem heard the German: ‘The fire brigade just saved someone!’ Moments later it was the teenager’s turn.
“I was put on a kind of climbing harness and chained to the crane while I was still in the cart. Then they helped me into the crane. That was a good thing, because I no longer had feeling in my legs.”
Once downstairs, Jochem was wrapped in blankets: his body temperature was only 33 degrees. An ambulance took Jochem and his father to the hospital on the drip.
After a doctor said that the patient was doing well, Jochem was allowed to go home. A day later, the young Brabander soberly tells that he is doing well. “My fingers are still a bit stiff from the cold, but that’s all. It was very special to experience.”