Man Tries to ‘Embrace’ Powerful Geneva Fountain, Ends Up in Hospital

A man who tried to hug Geneva's famous Jet d'Eau fountain wound up in the hospital after the iconic fountain thrust him several feet into the air. 

The man, in his twenties, attempted the stunt Monday by first planting his face into the fountain’s nozzle, which spurts out 132 gallons of water at 125 miles per hour at a height of 460 feet,  reported Swiss outlet 20 Minutes. 

The fountain launched him backward several feet. 

Nevertheless, he then went back and attempted to embrace the fountain by putting his arms around it before the water pressure threw him into the air again, the outlet reported. 

He crashed down onto the cement walkway near the fountain and then jumped into Geneva Lake which collects the water from the fountain. 

By then, Swiss authorities arrived and helped the injured man out of the water and sent him to a local hospital. 

"Police officers came and asked to urgently shut off the Jet d'Eau to be able to go get him," one witness told 20 Minutes.

His condition is unclear but Swiss electric company SIG, which owns and runs the fountain, announced that it would file a complaint against the man for trespassing. 

Jet d'Eau, which translates to 'water jet' sits on the Geneva Lake, in Switzerland and is one of the tallest fountains in the world.

The fountain was originally built in 1886 to control and release the excess pressure of a hydraulic plant at La Coulouvrenière but soon became a remarkable symbol of the city.