Base jumper seriously hurt in fall from Zeewolde windmill; One arrested
One man was seriously injured while base jumping from a wing turbine in Zeewolde on Wednesday evening, police said. Investigators said they believe the 43-year-old Hilversum man's parachute did not properly open during the jump. The victim's accomplice, a 46-year-old man from Utrecht, was arrested at the scene.
The incident happened at about 8 p.m. on Gruttoweg. The wind turbine the pair used as a jump platform stands about 75 meters above the ground. The Utrecht man was not hurt, however the Hilversum man was found with "considerable injuries," a police spokesperson told RTL Nieuws.
"He was taken to hospital in critical condition," police said in a statement.
Emergency services responded to the scene en masse, including multiple ambulances, fire trucks, and a trauma team by helicopter, records show. They stabilized the victim at the scene before rushing him to the hospital.
The police are investigating what happened. "It is not only dangerous to climb up radio masts and windmills, it is also forbidden," police said. A spokesperson told RTL Nieuws that the victim may also face criminal charges.
