Marriage proposal from crane hits the roof

Disaster strikes when crane Dutch man hires to propose to lover crashes into house: she said ‘yes’

The crane which fell on to the roof of a house in IJsselstein, central Netherlands. Photograph: Michiel Van Beers/EPA
The crane which fell on to the roof of a house in IJsselstein, central Netherlands. Photograph: Michiel Van Beers/EPA

A Dutchman’s attempt at a romantic wedding proposal was a smashing success – but not in the way he had hoped.

The unidentified lover in the Netherlands town of Ijsselstein rented a crane to descend in front of his girlfriend's bedroom window first thing on Saturday morning, hoping to play her a song before popping the question.

Instead the crane toppled and smashed a hole in a neighbour’s roof.

The incident occurred when a man tried to surprise his girlfriend by proposing from the top of the crane, which then toppled on to a house. Photograph: Michiel Van Beers/EPA
The incident occurred when a man tried to surprise his girlfriend by proposing from the top of the crane, which then toppled on to a house. Photograph: Michiel Van Beers/EPA

According to reports in Algemeen Dagblad, the girlfriend said “yes” anyway and, after speaking with the police, the pair travelled to Paris to celebrate their engagement.

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Then the crane fell again during attempts to right it with a larger crane, widening the hole.

The neighbour's house has been declared unsafe and two buildings on either side of it have been evacuated as well. PA