Crane collapse crashes marriage proposal attempt

Photo: YouTube

An ill-timed crane collapse saw one man's attempt at an extravagant marriage proposal come crashing down around him.

The Dutchman had planned to have himself lowered into his girlfriend's garden to surprise her, but on the day of the fateful operation, the crane designed to elevate him above the Ijsselstein streets topped over.

He managed to escape unscathed from the incident, but the crane tumbled into a neighbour's house demolishing their roof; a surprise very different to the one intended.

His bad luck, though, had not completely run out.

"The crane the man wanted to use to propose fell on a house. During the attempt to right it, the crane unfortunately slipped and fell on the house again," Emergency services spokesman Jelle Mulder told AFP.

The homes on the street have now been evacuated, but the crane remains lodged in the roof of the house.

"We're looking at the best way to lift the crane without it falling again," added Mulder, who explained that a decision would then be taken about whether the homes need to be demolished.

On the plus side, though, the man's partner said yes to his disastrous proposal. There whereabouts are unknown.

"They had a trip to Paris planned and the police told them that there was no reason to cancel," continued Mulder. "I don't know if they've gone."

The Telegraph has video of the event taking place: