Crazy road rage person!

[Camperroo]

sorry this is long, but you won't believe it!   What's wrong with our world today....

Well so much for a peaceful drive to school with the kids today.  I was driving along, saw a guy trying to back out of his driveway onto the busy road, so I slowed down and gave him PLENTY of room to back out. Well he backed out and I eventually came up near him to find that he wasn't driving away just sitting there in the middle of the road talking on a cellphone oblivious to me and about 15 other cars all trying to continue on.  I waited a few seconds and then gave him a "toot" on the horn to move along...well he started to go forward...I thought... and then about 10 feet ahead of me jammed on his breaks, thank god I was traveling slowly because he didn't cause me to have to jam on mine.  I stopped wondering what his problem was and then he moved again a couple of feet and jammed on his breaks again and this time sat rock still on the road.  Well, I was getting sick of his games so I did blow my horn again to get him to move but he just sat there!!!!!  So I figured enough playing, I waited a few more seconds and people behind me were now beeping so I went around him instead.  Except when I started to go around him he gunned his SUV forward to try and prevent me from getting back into my lane of traffic...and I had my son in my car!!!  I couldn't believe it, but I really put my foot on the pedal and shot past him and got back into the lane, he came flying up behind me with his horn blaring riding my bumper, my son was terrified.  I just stayed in the right hand lane figuring he'd tire of his game and move over to the left lane.  Well he did, except he drove up parrarell to me and then gunned it and cut me off in the right hand lane and slammed on his brakes.  I was going 40 mph and almost smashed into the back of his big shiny new SUV.  Then he kept tapping his breaks.  I slowed way down to get rid of him but he slowed down to my speed just to be able to stay directly in front of me continually hitting his breaks.  I finally got my son to get my cell phone out of my bag so I could call 911 for help.  can you believe as I was opening my window to show him the phone I dropped it out the window!!!!  He was now in the left hand lane and saw some work trucks in the road with flashing lights on, I'm sure he figured there were police there so he quickly turned left onto another road and I pulled over on the street to try and retrieve my cell phone.  Well the no good piece of you know what pulled over on the other road, got out of his car to watch me dodging traffic to get my cell phone and started laughing at me!!!!  I think he got out to see if he had pushed me off the road onto the sidewalk and I'm sure he would have driven away feeling he had succeeded in hurting me and my family.  I screamed across the road I was calling the police and grabbed my cell phone and got back in the car and called them.  However NONE of the construction workers inthe road had so much as thought of the gentlemanly thing to do of asking me if I was ok or helping me safely to my car.  They saw what this crazy lunatic was doing to me as we came over the hill in the road and they saw him pull over and start laughing at me from across the road.

Nice people in our world today.  This guy was in his I would say early 30's driving a brand new black Mercedes SUV.  He got his great joy in almost trying to kill my son and I and tormented me for almost a mile on what should have been a simple drive to school.  My poor little boy was crying so hard by the time we got to school that we had to sit in the parking lot till he could calm down. I wanted to throw up.   I explained to him that there were some really disturbed people in this world and this sick man was an example of that, but that we were ok and the police would take care of it.  Hopefully they will.  I can tell you my husband and brother are going for a ride tonight to locate the home where this you know what lives.  If the car is in the driveway, they will call the police to come to the residence.  I am going to press charges against him.   Up till now the police haven't been able to locate him.

Never have I felt such hate towards a person.  I hope he trashes himself in a car accident someday without hurting anyone else or he suffers the most painful of diseases and rots away or his own family suffers some frightening fate as he caused mine.   There's no forgiveness in my heart towards this animal and what he did to me and my son.  

If the police can't find him, my DH will.

[birol]

You were lucky you got away unharmed, I treat everyone driving a car like a demented person and keep my distance. I hope the cops get to hom first, don't let your husband go to his house (to locate the car and call the cops is ok).

The world as we know is gone .....it is crazy

[NightOwl]

Boy, Camperoo, that must have been terrifying, especially with your little boy in the car--sounds like the guy might have been abusing some "substance."  I hope the cops nail him, but will you need a witness to avoid "he said, she said."?

I have never experienced anything as bad as what you describe, but have had a few runs ins with wackos on the road and so now, I am very cautious  when I am in my car.  If anyone looks the least bit  strange or is driving  eccentricly, I just try to be invisible to them.   (I NEVER give anyone "the finger" anymore on the highway no matter how stupid they act and there was a time...well, I was  pretty wild  until a few years ago...)  

MY BIL, who drove an 18 wheeler until recent retirement, had an experience  a few years ago, with another semi-driver who kept weaving around on the road and stopped dead in front of  Jack's truck, got out and  then walked  down the highway  toward  Jack  brandishing a sawed-off shotgun..  Fortunately someone else had seen the guy acting crazy and called the cops so they arrived just in time and hauled him off.

It's stories like these that make me treat all drivers  like thay are  POTENTIAL KILLERS

[birol]

Nightowl, very well put ! Some of the drivers ARE potential kilelrs, with their cars or as themselves .....

[B-flat]

There are drivers who insist that you move on at a faster speed than the legal limit by riding your bumper, even when you are passing a slower car and are in the left passing lane.  They will even honk the horn and throw dirty looks as they pass you, once you have made a safe pass and are back into your own lane.  There are drivers who will railroad you and force you to speed up. :eek:   I try to give them plenty of room but what this guy did to you was illegal by blocking the roadway and then speeding up trying to keep you from passing.  Just get the license number, call the police and report it immediately along with the location.

[birol]

Yesterday I was doing 100 on road which has a 80 km limit, I was on the left lane overtaking a car, obviously I wasn't fast enough for this monkey, as he rode by bumper and overtook me on the right lane as soon as the car besides me was slightly behind me, he jumped right in front of me to pull the same trick with the next car.

I went, I hope a cop sees you right now .....but they were busy catching people who go 61 in a 60 limit road ......

 :rolleyes:

[NightOwl]

Hey, gang--I had an e-mail from Camperoo this AM asking me (since she is temporarily unable to access the board) to let you know  that when she DOES finally get back in,  she is going to edit her original words about this to tone down her anger and frustration--especially in wishing the culprit a bad experience.

I have re-read her  account of what happened and  frankly, I dont think she should take back a single word--the guy who ATTACKED her sounds like a  sick, vicious person who deliberately put a woman and her child in danger.  People like this should not be on ANY  road--and I dont care HOW he gets put off the road.  If he ends up in a ditch somewhere, or in traction,  it is MUCH better than he deserves, as far as I am concerned.

Just reading the horror Rose must have experienced as she tried to get herself and her terrified  child out of this situation  alive is enough to make me feel this guy deserves the very worst and I dont think for a second that she should apologize for feeling that way.   Anyone who has ever had a child in danger knows exactly what this is all about and how it makes a mother feel.  

To be frank, I myself  know what it is like to experience the surge of protective anger I call "Mother Bear Protective Syndrome"  and all I want to do is KILL when someone threatens my cub in any way!  (And I am neither joking nor exaggerating.)

[birol]

Her life and her son's life was threatened, I understand where she was coming from ! Her words might sound little bit strong, but, if you were in the same situation, wouldn't  you feel the same way ? I know I would ! I don't think she needs to apologize about how she feels. If she wants to repharase how she put it down to words, it is her post, she can do anything she wants with it.  

It is times like this where the protective instincts in us come out roaring ! If I were there driving nearby, I would certainly have blocked this guys vehicle, AFTER calling 911 and telling them what was happening.

[angelsmom10]

In 2002 DD had just had her driver's license for a few months and had a job at a waterpark north of the city.  It was about a 28mile drive one way all expressway.  She had a similar situation with some guy driving crazy in front of her, then he'd slow down and get behind her and tailgate her and then move in front and drive slow.  She kept trying to get away from him, but it he seemed to have a thing about her.  She eventually gunned the engine and drove 70 to get around him, and who is sitting about 1/2 mile up the road was a cop.  She got a ticket, but did explain the situation and he told her next time to just drive normally, and call 911 and stay on the phone ignoring the driver. Let the police handle it when they get there. If possible aslo get the license plate.  DD now understands and luckily this has not happened since.

 
Around here, you can get shot for just looking cross-eyed at someone, so I do not like to honk or anything and try to hold my cool.

[Acts 2:38 girl]

It really wouldn't be to hard to find him, you know where he lives, right?  Wasn't he backing out of his driveway?  Just last month somebody was killed around here because of road rage.  Same type of thing, slamming on the brakes, except it was a truck vs. a car.  Some people are just to stressed out.  Personally I'd find out his address, mail him and his wife a letter explaining who you are (he'll remember!) and end by saying you'll be praying for them and you forgive them for scaring you and your little boy so badly.  (only if you mean it!)  You will "heap burning coals upon them"!!     I bet his wife would have something to say about it!

[B-flat]

Yes. I'd pray for him but I wouldn't write him a letter.  Let the police take care of him.  If a license plate was taken down, the police will find him.

[AustinBoston]

My poor little boy was crying so hard by the time we got to school that we had to sit in the parking lot till he could calm down. I wanted to throw up.

Any lawyer worth half his pay would be able to make an "emotional trauma" case out of this.  It's a lot better than:

If the police can't find him, my DH will.

Next time something like this happens, turn off the road into a parking lot (one you can safely get out of if he tries to block you in).  If he follows you, don't try to show him that you are calling the police, just call the police.  Don't tell them it's road rage, just tell them someone is trying to assault you with their car.  And don't tell them you are in your car unless they specifically ask "are you in your car?".  That stuff can be sorted out later.  If he leaves, DO NOT FOLLOW HIM.

My brother and I encountered a serious road rage addict once.  The thing that set him off was when my brother waved (5-fingered, not one-fingered) because his headlights had disppeared below our bumper (we were travelling 60 MPH).  We played it very cool from there, but he had already lost it.

The most telling thing about this guy wasn't the holding his head out the window to scream at us.  It wasn't that he tried to spit on our car (while going 60 MPH).  It wasn't that he insisted on travelling next to us when he had plenty of room to pass.  It wasnt the red face with the veins popping out of his forehead.

It was that every square inch of his car was dented in some way.  And it had a huge lunger on it.

When he was gone, I told my brother "I hope he's not going home to a wife and kids in that mood!"

Austin

[Camperroo]

Hi everyone, yea I'm back and able to respond.  I do want to apologize for my harsh words towards how I felt towards this person, it was written in the moment of sheer anger and fear of what had happened that day.  Easter is approaching for my family and I realized that though I was faced with a terrifying situation, to wish ill upon his own family, etc. was wrong.  I will let our police dept.handle his fate and ultimately we know who he will someday face also.

However, truly the good do overcome the bad.  I met with the police this morning.  Apparently they had gone to this man's home last night but he wasn't there.  They showed up again this morning and the car was in the driveway but he refused to come to the door.   Apparently unless they have a warrant that can't make him come out.  It's called sanctuary is what the police told me, but it didn't make them happy campers for sure.  The police told me that as soon as the description of the car came out they didn't even need the license # they immediately knew who this person was and went looking for him.  Apparently he has racked up road complaints one as early as a few nights ago.  Again when the police got to his house for that one, he wasn't there.  I sat with the police and went over everything he did to me son and I as we were driving.  They were pretty angry given knowing about him already.  The good news is they were going to file an immediate suspension of license report with the Registry of Motor Vehicles for driving to endanger and they are going to go ahead and are going to criminally charge him with driving to endanger, wreckless driving and assault with intent to commit harm, assault with a weapon (his car) and who knows what else, but boy they are going after him lock stock and barrell.  I told Elisa that they asked me to testify against him to get him off the road for good, I told them at first if it was just me, I might be too afraid too, but because my child was in the car, I definitely would.  No one hurts my kids, ever!!!!   They also said that given this coward wouldn't come out of his house this morning, that he essentially is admitting guilt and I have a witness, my terrified little boy.  They said the judge won't like it one bit.

Austin had great recommendations, except in my case there was no where to go, it's a 3 lane road going from one town right straight through to the other, I'd already passed the police station well before I came upon this guy.   All I could do was keep my hands firm on the wheel and focus on my driving skills to keep him from running us off the road.  I'm so thankful that god kept my son and I safe from this monster.  My son calls our minivan "good ol' Bessie" and he said she did a good job keeping us safe too!!  He's right.  

So for awhile I will avoid going this road as this person lives on it, I will travel the back roads, because I'm afraid he'll be looking for me, especially with the police on his back now.  Kind of scary but the police reassured me they feel he won't know me, our town has tons of minivans driving around.  I'm sure he didn't pay attention to my license plate number as he was to intent on just terrorizing us.  If he had paid attention he would have seen the police sticker on my rear window as my dad is a retired police officer in the next town and you'd have thought he may not want to mess with someone who could have potentially been the wife or in my case, child of a police officer.

So that's it for now, until the police get back to me as to the status of this person.  

Please everyone be safe, unfortunately you don't know who you are sharing the road with.

[brainpause]

Gee...I thought this was an April Fool's joke/story, and I wish it was!

Hope everything turns out!

Larry

[Gone-Camping]

Good! I'm glad the police are doing something. For a while I figured the police would tell you that it was your word against his and do nothing about it. Trouble is, if he's like that, I doubt a suspension of his driving privileges will stop him from driving... But with a suspended license, he'd really have to be nice then!