Tourists Drive Camper Onto Wooden Boardwalk, Fall Through and Get Fined

A bizarre scene unfolded at the Grolloerveen nature reserve in the Netherlands, where a campervan crashed through a wooden boardwalk designed for pedestrians and cyclists. How to get the vehicle out remains a major headache for Staatsbosbeheer (the Dutch Forestry Service).

The incident happened Thursday evening when the campervan's occupants took a wrong turn, drove onto the elevated boardwalk path, and came to a halt only when the wooden structure gave way beneath their weight.

"Our forest ranger was there last night and assessed the situation. Those people were very shocked," said forester Linde Veldhoen. The biggest challenge now is extracting the camper. "That camper is not just going to disappear. It has quite a lot of effort involved. How we are going to do that is not yet clear."

Options include laying steel plates over the boardwalk so the camper can reverse out. The delicate nature of the Grolloerveen, a vulnerable natural area, adds risk. "We hope we can get the camper out in one piece. The camper itself is undamaged -- no leaks, fortunately."

Walking and cycling routes have been diverted and the path is closed indefinitely. The tourists received a fine for driving where vehicles are not permitted, and the damage to the boardwalk will be handled through insurance.