A whale artwork acts as Spiderman, saving a train from what could have been a more ghastly accident. The train crashed through a barrier at a Dutch station and landed on a 7.6m giant whale structure with its tails in the air.
It was a somewhat fortunate incident as there were no passengers on board when this happened, except the train driver. He wasn't injured but was pretty bewildered and shaken up. Who wouldn't be? After the incident, he was taken to the hospital for a thorough checkup.
How It Happened
The train crashed through the whale's tail at 12:30 am at the De Akkers Metro Station in Spijkenisse city. Images from the scene show how the train ran past the end of the track where it should have stopped and rested on the artwork. It was suspended at a height scary even for onlookers.
The accident ripped the train's undercarriage while the windows at the back of the train were smashed in. You can still notice the words "sorry, no service" in Dutch from the train's display sign.
Saved By The Whale's Tail
According to Carly Hotter of the Rijnmond Regional Safety Authority in a statement to AFP, "The metro went off the rails and landed on a monument called Saved By The Whale's Tail. So, that literally happened. Because of the whale's tail, the driver was actually saved. It's incredible."
The cause of the crash is being investigated, and the driver has been taken in for questioning. There remains the task of removing the train, which was badly damaged, and reopening the station that was cordoned off.
Thank You, Whale's Tail!
The artwork, Saved By The Whale's Tail, is actually a structure made up of two tails designed to look like two whales diving back into the water with their seats upward. It was built about 20 years ago and was a monumental feature of the park underneath the raised metro.
Right now, there is little to worry about as a team of experts, including the architect of the sculpture, are on site trying to figure out the safest way to remove the train.
The water body around it makes getting a crane to the site difficult. Strong winds also pose their own worries and risks. But, we remain glad that someone was saved by the whale's tail and are optimistic that the train will be safely removed.
