Boy severs foot in freak summer toboggan accident at adventure park in Germany

A summer toboggan ride in Germany has been closed after a boy partially severed his foot at an adventure park. The 12-year-old boy had to be airlifted to hospital on Saturday 7 October when his foot became trapped between the tracks and the toboggan.

He was attended to by emergency medics before being taken to hospital in Gelsenkirchen with non-life threatening injuries. The cause of the accident, which happened at the Fort Fun Adventure Land in the Sauerland district of North Rhine-Westphalia, is yet to be determined with investigations ongoing.

Park officials said: "The safety and well-being of our guests are always our top priority. Our thoughts are with the child and his parents."

The ride, called the "Trapper Slider" will remain closed until at least the weekend while safety checks are carried out, reported The Local.

Andreas Sievering, managing director of Fort Fun, said: "We will use this week to analyse the exact cause of the accident. Like all our rides, the toboggan ride Trapper Slider is subject to strict safety regulations and is regularly inspected."

But the accident isn't the first at the park.

In 2000, another toboggan ride was the subject of controversy when a seven-year-old boy had his entire arm almost ripped off when he lost control over a crack that had been overlooked by safety checks.

The boy was able to have the arm re-attached, but concerns over the ride continued until it was eventually closed in 2003. In June 2009, a man sustained life-threatening injuries when he fell out of his toboggan at full-speed at a park in Bottrop.

The mountains and valleys of the region mean that there are several similar toboggan rides scattered in the area. Most of the toboggan tracks are on very steep hills with track speeds ranging from 30-40mph, often without any seat belt.