People doing obviously dumb stuff strictly for the lolz isn’t exactly a new concept, but some people really do take the cake, as evidenced with this story. A man in Switzerland was hospitalized with serious injuries after he tried to hug the iconic Jet d’Eau fountain in Geneva. According to BBC News, the unnamed person was thrown into the air by a jet of water from the fountain before hitting the ground hard.
- The Jet d’Eau is a serious fountain. This isn’t the average kind you’d find in your local park – it’s serious business. The fountain shoots out 110 gallons of water every second at such high pressure that it reaches up to 459 feet into the air.
- The man in question was clearly looking for trouble. The “victim,” said to be in his 20s, crossed the barriers around the fountain on the evening of Monday, August 21. He then tried to put his face on the nozzle but was pushed off before he was able to.
- He didn’t give up — he tried to mount the fountain. When he tried again to get near the Jet d’Eau, he was pushed up into the air by the water before crashing down on a cement walkway nearby. Miraculously, he was still conscious when he stood up and dove back into Lake Geneva.
- The authorities picked up the man soon after. Witnesses to the bizarre incident told police, who took the man to a local hospital. “Police officers came and asked to urgently shut off the Jet d’Eau to be able to go get him,” a witness told 20 Minutes.
- The company that owns and runs the fountain plans to press charges. SIG said it would file a complaint against the man for trespassing where he should not have been. The man’s current condition isn’t currently known.
