‘Fast & the fruity-ous’: Dutch train crashes into truck, launches pears into the sky

It looked like a scene straight out of a slapstick movie with a freight train tearing through a truck piled high with pears but for the residents near the Dutch town of Waalwijk, the so-called “Fruit Flight” was all too real. According to local reports and footage shared online, a freight train rammed into a truck carrying crates of fresh pears, after it became stuck on the railway tracks. The collision scattered hundreds of kilos of fruit across the countryside, creating a bizarre yet mesmerising spectacle of a moving train cutting through a cloud of flying pears.

From freight to fruit fight

Authorities confirmed that five people sustained minor injuries in the accident. The local safety authority said the truck was attempting to cross when the warning lights began flashing and within moments, the train hit at full speed. Miraculously, no serious injuries were reported but clean-up crews had to spend hours clearing tracks littered with fruit and debris.Social media quickly turned the incident into meme gold. Clips of the “pear-storm” flooded X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and Reddit, with users captioning it everything from “Fast & the Fruity-ous” to “When life gives you pears…” One post alone racked up over 3 million views within a few hours.

Beyond the memes

While the video might look like harmless viral content, transportation authorities in the Netherlands used the moment to renew warnings about level-crossing safety. According to government data, the country still records dozens of near-misses every year despite advanced warning systems and automatic barriers.

The culture spin

In today’s social-media age, even a freight collision can become part of the Internet pop culture. The “Fruit Flight” trended under multiple hashtags, with people remixing footage into soundtracks ranging from Enrique Iglesias’ “Hero” to “Chop Suey” by System of a Down.

Screengrab from Reddit

Screengrab from Reddit

The pear-filled wreck might fade from the headlines soon but for a moment, the world united in collective disbelief and a touch of dark humour because only in 2025 could a freight disaster turn into the the Internet’s most unexpected fruit salad.