Past midnight on Monday, a train went past the barrier and would have plunged into the water below, had it not been for one of these whale tails. Instead of dropping 10 meters (32 feet) into the water, the train was “caught” by the sculpture and remained thus suspended until daylight, when authorities arrived at the scene to analyze the situation and decide what to do next.
According to the media outlet, the driver of the train was not injured and was able to walk off the train through the back. No one else was on the train. No word yet on what caused him to drive the train through the barrier and off the edge, as the incident is still under investigation.
“We are trying to decide how we can bring the train down in a careful and controlled manner,” authorities told the media on Monday. Presumably, the tail will hold the weight of the derailed train until then.
Contacted for comment, Struijs declared himself amazed that his work proved so tough – and such a life-saver. “It has been there for almost 20 years and... you actually expect the plastic to pulverize a bit, but that is apparently not the case,” he said. “I'll make sure that I get a few photos. I could never have imagined it that way.”
It wouldn’t be that much of a stretch to assume no one imagined it this way, ever.
An elevated tram rammed past the end of its tracks in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Monday morning and nearly plunged 32 feet, but instead was saved by the tail of a whale statue coincidentally named "Saved by a Whale's Tale.” No one was injured. pic.twitter.com/zlHVGT9TPe
— CBS News (@CBSNews) November 2, 2020
A Dutch statue coincidentally named 'Saved by a Whale's Tale' stopped a train from plunging to the ground in Rotterdam. More photos of the day: https://t.co/QKUA6UbQJK ÷ Eva Plevier pic.twitter.com/FFdPAw3qNu
— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) November 2, 2020