Toppled excavator on campus draws many spectators

Commotion at the Mekelweg Monday evening: an excavator landed on its side there around five in the afternoon. It took about an hour and a half before the vehicle was upright again.

The cause was a maneuvering error by the driver, who remained unharmed. However, the excavator did get damaged, according to the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam The Hague, client of the construction of the tram line for which the excavator was used.

The accident happened near the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science. The bicycle bridge near the faculty was closed for some time. At the same time, at the faculty a welcome barbecue of the Electrotechnische Vereeniging, the study association of Electrical Engineering, took place.

Many spectators were the result: with a beer and a plate of food in hand, students came out to see how the excavator was hoisted back up by several cranes. Around 6:30 p.m., the vehicle was back on its feet.

The excavator is part of the arsenal of vehicles being used in the construction of the new tram line across campus. Executor of that project is the construction company Dura Vermeer.

Addition 17-9-2024 16:02: after the response of the Metropole Region Rotterdam The Hague, the second alinea was added.