Road Rage Causes Fight on Side of Freeway, Caught on Video

Posted on June 21, 2012 | Written By: iadminlaw

English: Freeway, Los Angeles, 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When we think of road rage, we think of cars cutting off other cars, drivers flipping off other drivers, people honking, cars zigzagging. However, one curious case of two drivers can change that image. On a bright afternoon of Tuesday, June 12, two men were videotaped beating up another driver who had supposedly cut them off. Another motorist had stopped by the Interstate 5 freeway in Los Angeles to video the ordeal on his phone.

Driving in Southern California freeways, road rage abounds. With rush hours, numerous drivers, and packed freeways, it can be a bit hard to escape the day without experiencing a bit of anger towards other drivers. But it is when this aggressive behavior causes personal injury to another individual that action against it must be taken.

The victim, Jerry Patterson, claims he had unintentionally cut off another automobile, sparking the wrath of the men inside the car. After that, things got out of hand. The three other men, two of which have been identified as David Mendez and Edras Ramirez, got into a fist fight with Patterson.

Patterson had got in front of the men’s vehicle and for about five miles was followed by the other three men. They threw objects at his car before stopping in front of him. In the video, the men could be seen having a heated discussion before rolling up their sleeves and throwing punches, clearly letting their road rage show.

While they were fighting, another traveler, Emeal Age, stopped his car and decided to capture the scene on his cellphone. Since then, the video has been uploaded on YouTube and Live Leak, gaining many views.

1998-2005 Volkswagen Jetta sedan photographed in USA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Thanks to our social media and viewers’ ability to make a video go viral, police officers were able to see the clip and initiate an investigation. Age was able to capture images of the men beating up Patterson as well as the license plate of their Volkswagen Jetta. Because of the video, two of Patterson’s attackers turned themselves in on Wednesday after officials held a news conference concerning the captured clip earlier that morning.

Patterson, a father of three, said he would not have reported anything or stepped up if the two-minute video had not been uploaded on the internet.

Two of the three men from the Volkswagen Jetta appeared to drag down Patterson onto the ground before kicking him. The victim then appeared to be unconscious when the two men repeatedly kicked him on the head. Patterson said he had suffered a concussion. After the men drove away, another traveler appeared by Patterson’s side and called 911 while Age jumped out of his car and checked on Patterson.

This kind of road behavior is ridiculous and unnecessary. There is no need to cause personal injury to another driver because of pride and anger. When out on the roads in Los Angeles, traffic and other drivers are enough to get somebody on edge, but that is not a just reason to purposely cause harm to somebody else. If you have been injured because of somebody else’s negligence, call a Los Angeles personal injury attorney today and file a claim.