A violent road rage incident in the Villages is another sad reminder of the risk that comes with getting behind the wheel of a car.
A 37-year-old Lake Sumter man was recently arrested after allegedly attacking a 70-year-old man in an apparent fit of road rage, Villages-News reports. The victim and a witness said the Lake Sumter man reached into the other man’s van and grabbed him by the neck.
The incident occurred in the vicinity of Morse Boulevard and San Marino Drive, according to an arrest report. Police caught up with the alleged attacker, but he reportedly refused to pull his car over. The man was apprehended when he parked his vehicle at an apartment complex.
“He stopped at the apartment complex but refused to exit his locked vehicle,” Villages-News reports. “Deputies eventually removed him from the vehicle and were forced to take him to the ground as he resisted their efforts to take him into custody.”
The man was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including battery, resisting arrest, and failure to notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles of an address change. He was released from Sumter County Detention Center after posting a $36,500 bond.
Although it is not entirely clear what led up to the incident, road rage and aggressive driving are all too common in the Villages, across Florida and throughout the country.
A Recent Study Shines a Bright Light on the Road Rage Issue
A remarkable 80 percent of drivers in a recent study reported expressing significant anger, aggression, or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the last 30 days. The American Automobile Association found in the same study that certain aggressive driving tactics were most prevalent:
- Driving 15 miles per hour or more over the speed limit (48%)
- Following vehicles too closely to prevent others from merging (34%)
- Honking, making rude gestures at other drivers (32%)
- Running a red light (31%)
- Merging into traffic even when another driver tries to close the gap between vehicles (28%)
- Switching lanes quickly or very close behind another car (26%)
- Speeding up when another car tries to overtake (25%)
- Passing in front of another vehicle at less than car length (22%)
These and other kinds of aggressive driving can have fatal consequences, both for the driver and others on the road.
Although you cannot go back in time and stop a crash from happening, anyone who is injured in an aggressive driving accident in Florida has the right to seek compensation from those responsible. A seasoned Villages accident lawyer can help you identify those to blame and maximize the money damages to which you are entitled.
Talk with a Villages Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in an aggressive driving or other crash in Florida, Villages accident lawyer Tim Babiarz can help.
Our firm is pleased to represent clients in the Villages and throughout the area, including in Ocala, Leesburg, Lady Lake, Wildwood, Summerfield, and beyond. Call (352) 205-7559 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a Villages accident lawyer.
