Volkswagen Passat engine seized

I was driving through a Suffolk village one evening recently when, without any warning, there was a thump from the engine area, followed by a flapping sound, after which the car ground to a halt; on getting out of the car, it was apparent that the engine oil had leaked out on to the road. The AA man who attended diagnosed the problem had been caused by a conrod breaking (possibly due to a ball bearing failure), which had punched a hole in the engine block, causing the oil to leak out and, ultimately, the engine seized.
I don't feel this should happen to a car which is 5.5 years old, has 126,000 miles on the clock, and has been regularly serviced, mainly at VW dealerships. I wondered if anyone else had had a similar problem, and how it was resolved (if it was!).