In brief
A man in Germany clung to the outside of a high-speed train after missing his stop while trying to sneak a cigarette break. His extraordinary ride ended without serious injury, but he now faces legal consequences.
In an astounding sequence of events, a 40-year-old Hungarian man found himself in a life-threatening situation after attempting to evade train fares on a high-speed ICE train in Germany. The unusual incident unfolded when the man boarded the train in Munich without a valid ticket. As the train made a brief stop at Ingolstadt, he decided to step outside for a smoking break, miscalculating the time he had.Unluckily for him, the train's doors shut behind him as he finished his cigarette, leaving him stranded on the platform. In a desperate bid to avoid being left behind and perhaps separated from his luggage still on board, he made an impulsive decision to leap onto a bracket situated between the carriages. Grabbing tightly onto cables, he clung to the exterior of the train as it accelerated towards Nuremberg at incredible speeds of up to 282 km/h (175 mph).Witnesses on the train quickly notified authorities of the alarming sight outside, prompting federal police to contact the train driver. The regrettable adventure culminated when the driver made an unscheduled stop at Kinding, Upper Bavaria, approximately 30 kilometers away from the station. Given the unusual circumstances, officers boarded the train at the next stop where they located and assisted the now very fortunate fare-dodger.In a twist of irony, he emerged from his daring escapade comparatively unscathed. A local police officer, who was coincidentally a passenger, was among those who helped him back onto the train before he was met by federal police at Nuremberg station. Despite surviving the ordeal without significant harm, the man now faces scrutiny and potential charges for several offenses, including benefit fraud and disruptive behavior.Federal police have released warnings emphasizing the inherent dangers of such reckless stunts, reminding the public that safety should not be compromised for the sake of avoiding fare payment.
