Road rage is a curious thing. Even the most peaceful driver has probably become enraged behind the wheel at one time or another. Maybe you’re in a hurry, or maybe you’ve just had a tough day. Here you are, trying to drive safely when some bozo cuts you off and almost causes an accident. You’d like to give that driver a piece of your mind, right?
If you decide to do that, keep it at the “angry hand gestures” level. Tops. A 69-year-old Waterford man recently learned that lesson the hard way — at great cost to both his Porsche and his reputation.
Just before 1:00 p.m. on Friday, Leesburg police started getting calls about an ongoing road rage incident on the Route 7 Bypass. Meanwhile, a man driving a 2012 Freightliner box truck saw the incident unfold in his rearview mirror.
The disputing drivers were getting closer, so the truck driver tried to get out of the way by exiting at South King Street. Unfortunately, one of the drivers — a man in a 2012 Porsche Carrera — happened to take that exit, too.
Apparently in a mighty rage, the Porsche driver tried to get around the box truck by swerving onto the shoulder of the ramp. Unfortunately, the ramp was curved, and when truck driver slowed to navigate the curve, the Porsche driver couldn’t react in time and rear-ended the truck.
That wasn’t the end of it. According to reports, the Porsche driver pulled back, swung around and intentionally rammed his car repeatedly into the Freightliner — right near its fuel tank. Luckily for everyone, that’s when the police arrived. At that point neither driver had been injured, but both the Freightliner and the Porsche were so damaged they had to be towed from the scene.
Now that Porsche driver has been charged with attempted malicious wounding, according to reporters. He was released on a $5,000 bond.
It may be obvious from hindsight that ramming an expensive sports car into a box truck isn’t going to solve any problems, right? The truth is, out-of-control emotions frequently result in poor judgment calls and potentially ruinous criminal consequences. If you should find yourself facing criminal charges after a serious traffic offense, take a deep breath and call a lawyer.
Source: LoudonTimes.com, “Waterford man arrested following Leesburg road rage incident,” April 17, 2015