There was a metro train near Rotterdam in Spijkenisse crashed with an artwork of a whale sculpture. This crash though saved the train from going into the water. The train could have dropped to 10 metres below into the cycle lane.
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Driver avoided the accident with no injuries
The driver could escape from this disastrous incident only because of the crash with the plastic artwork of a whale. As per reports, he avoided any injuries miraculously.
There was no passenger on the train at the time of the accident. The police had though taken him to medical faculty for a health check-up keeping his safety.
Police investigating the cause for a run-through of the train from the track
Police are looking into the causes of the accident which took place on November 5, 2020, at De Akkers metro station. They are unable to find the reason for the train losing track of the safety barrier. The train was just a few tens meters above the cycle lane.
Maarten Struijs created the artwork of the whale in 2002. It depicts the borderline of the metro station of De Akkers.
Sculpture’s name seems appropriate as Saved by the whale sculpture
The sculpture seems to have already an appropriate name Saved By The Whale’s Tail. It saved the metro train from going down. The Rijnmond regional safety official Carly Gorter said to AFP news that the whale’s tail had held the metro and the driver too without any harm. He finds that incredible.
The accident woke up the households nearby
The Dutch News reported that the crash happened at midnight and it made the nearby household wake up all of a sudden.
A resident living nearby said that the accident’s sounds did not last more than two or three seconds. He saw that there was something stuck to the whale’s tail but couldn’t correctly realize what that was.
The sculptor Maarten Struijs is in surprise to find the strength of the artwork
The sculptor Struijs said to a Dutch news agency NOS that it was a surprise for him that the sculpture did not collapse.
He said that 20 years since the sculpture was there. The statue was made of plastic, so, naturally, the structure would disintegrate. The whole incident shocked him that his artwork remained so strong.
Maarten Struijs is trying to investigate with the emergency team how they could recover the train from its stuck position. They are also concerned if the sculpture could hold up the train safely. The authority has restricted the area for this purpose.
