The 2023 edition of the Schueberfouer has already seen its fair share of excitement as the "Wilde Maus" rollercoaster attraction faced a series of unexpected incidents.
On three separate occasions, carriages came to a sudden halt on the iconic rollercoaster.
On Tuesday, RTL reported on an incident that occurred on Monday. A group of passengers were surprised to see their carriage come to a halt on a straight stretch of track. An employee of the "Wilde Maus" attraction, who was clearly not afraid of heights, then climbed up to the height of the carriage without hesitation to push it to the next descent. This restored the vehicle's momentum, allowing it to resume its journey.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported, but it has raised questions about safety protocols and maintenance procedures.
The first incident occurred on a Friday afternoon, with Max Eberhardt, the ride's owner, attributing it to a motor short-circuit. This malfunction led to the attraction coming to a standstill, requiring the main motor to be dismantled and reassembled. Luckily, the presence of a spare motor reduced the downtime to just two and a half hours.
The owner of the "Wilde Maus," Max Eberhardt
Technical glitches are not uncommon in amusement park rides, as Laurent Schwaller, head of the 'Public Space, Events, and Markets' department at Luxembourg City Council, explains. He points out that the transition from mechanical to electronic systems has made it more challenging to repair such issues quickly.
Later that same Friday evening, another incident unfolded when a passenger's jacket fell onto the rails during the ride, causing a carriage to get stuck. This occurrence was resolved within approximately thirty minutes, according to the German owner of the attraction.
During these incidents, employees had to intervene to manually unblock the carriages. Videos published by our colleagues from RTL Infos show that the employees climbed onto the rollercoaster without protection. "If I'd been there, I'd have told them off," Eberhardt assures, adding that "their intentions were good. Speed is always important, so that people get out and don't panic. But they should have taken a safety belt with them."
Despite these incidents, the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) teams were not required to intervene, as the "Wilde Maus" staff effectively resolved the issues themselves.
Schwaller stresses that LuxControl conducts pre-festival checks on all rides, placing responsibility for maintenance and safety procedures squarely on the fairground operators.
At around 2pm on Monday, yet another incident transpired due to a sensor malfunction, temporarily halting the rollercoaster. One carriage remained immobilised for approximately five minutes before employees manually pushed it to resume its descent.
Video on Reddit
Full report by RTL Télé (in Luxembourgish)
