Someone Threw Stuff at My Car on The Highway!?!?
 

So long story short someone threw change or something metallic at my car on the highway. :anger: (401 as I live in Ontario). Their are some minor damages to the paint in the rear quarter panel area. I've contacted the police and they are investigating as I got a good description of the car and driver and I got the license plate and a picture.

How do you guys and gals think I should proceed? My paint job wasn't perfect to begin with but it's the principle of the thing more than anything.

He was being a road rage driven dick and I slowed down to let him pass and I think he thought I was slowing down to piss him off. There was lots of traffic and he couldn't even really pass me as the car in front of me (and then him) wasn't going very fast either. I had to slow down to get behind the car in the middle lane. He was shouting obscenities and gesturing for me to pull over and fight him and then he pulled up beside me (him in the slow lane now after trying to pass on that side and failing) and threw a bunch of 'stuff' (change and metal shit) at my car. He then took an exit two or three miles later.

I estimated it as at least 1000 dollars worth of damage as the scratches are on 2 panels and that'd be the cost to repaint them (bare minimum). Although again I don't even mind that much it's more the principle and that it pisses me off that he did it.

I looked up the law and apparently it's illegal to not only have road rage, but also to throw ANYTHING on a 400 series highway in Canada.

Should I press charges? Or do you think I'm over-reacting. If I had been a less experienced driver someone like him riding my ass and swerving into my lane and throwing things at me may have caused a severe accident.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions?

I think someone who is educated in the canadian judicial system would best to answer this, but although pressing charges is a good fallback plan in times like this, I know that in the US you would be hard pressed to win a case unless you had a witness who saw the whole thing. Ultimately it will turn into a he said/he said and you'll find yourself spending just as much in legal fees in something that wont be an open-shut case.

Again, this is just my opinion

I would find his house and burn it to the ground. Then we would be even.

I actually just :yelrotflm

BUT FOR REAL. I'm like 6'5 and 240. I should have pulled over and killed him... but I showed restraint which I suppose is good.... maybe

You already reported it to the police, so you've essentially pressed charges. All that following through on that will cost you is appearing in court to testify against him. I really recommend you follow through. You'll cost him some fines and points on his license.

Collecting on the damage is something else. I don't know how that kind of thing works in Ontario. Where I live I'd file a comprehensive claim with my insurance company, and let them go after the guy. If the guy is convicted and you're lucky, part of his sentence might be to make reparations.

Ken

Ya from what the cop said the financial side is separate from the law side. BUT, if I use the law side to find out details about him and press charges I can then file a personal lawsuit suing him for damages at the same time as the police charges are being pressed.

Yeah, the two are different.. But, in Florida, if the cops charge him, and it sticks, that is good.

I believe my insurance woudl pay for the damage under "something flew into my car on the road". They do not pay if I hit something sitting in the road. Since they paid, you can them tell them "this idiot threw it", and they will go after the guy for the money. They have the legal team.

They may even get money back for your deductable.

Regardlass, helping a fool relaize the consequences of his actions, and have to pay for them, is usually good.

Yeah, if that happened to me, comprehensive would cover the damage (which I have a $0 deductible for), and I'd give the insurance company the owner info and they would use their money to pursue if they wished. Probably at least a demand for payment to him or his insurance company, though they may see the costs too high to bother sueing for if the demand is rejected. Could make his insurance rates climb a bunch though if his insurance company knows he is raging on the road.

You should go to his house, tell him he paid too much, and offer him some small change back.

Let us know how he responds ....

Agreed with most of the suggestions above, at least teach him a lesson that will ensure he never treats anybody else in a similar fashion again.

You should also, file a claim with your insurance, and provide this guy's info as advised above, let your insurance company go after his insurance company.

I gotta ask... How do you fit into an RX8?!?! Srsly tho... sorry about that man, people suck, I hope they get what they deserve....

I'm not understanding why he was pissed in the first place. Were you cruising in the passing lane? I have little compassion for people who expect others to pass them on the right on a freeway. That's against the law here even though it's rarely enforced. You say there was a lot of traffic, but I can't see someone getting pissed at you for being stuck behind another vehicle.

I'd follow up on this thing, even though I don't know your legal system in view of your chances to get the damage repaired.
It sounds very similar to ours, where you have the civil law and criminal law parts separate, but if he is convicted by the cops, this is pretty much a free pass for you to press for reimbursement.

However this is in Canada, in any case people like that need to know that their actions have serious consequences.

This time it was "only" your paint, which is bad enough honestly.
Who knows if next time he might seriously hurt somebody.

I guess I just don't understand people sometimes.

Thanks for the support guys. To answer two of the questions.

-Slash128 - I lowered the seat using the bracket mod but it's a tight fit. I'm lucky cause most of my length seems to be spread out fairly evenly.

- El Conquistador - I was in the middle lane and went to pass the car in front of me. There was a car in the passing lane in front of me (to the left of the car that had been in front of me). I kinda was at the mercy of that guy and he was taking his sweet time and didn't seem to understand the whole passing thing. Then VW random change thrower started riding my ass like no tomorrow and I kinda waved over to the right so he could see the car in front of me and he kept doing it. Then he tried to double over to the far right lane and pass and that didn't work so he came back over and started riding my ass again. I wasn't having it so I slowed down because I was sort of stranded behind the slow passer and the car I originally wanted to pass. I slowed down and got back behind the car I originally wanted to pass. The asshole then pulled up beside me, behind the car that was not sure how to pass, and gave me the finger and all the insults and what not. Eventually he realized he wasn't going to get by and he backed off and went back over to the slow lane and as he passed he whipped changed at my car and proceeded to beckon me to get off the highway and fight with him..

And in general I'm pursuing it so that he can see his consequences have actions and hopefully he won't do it in the future if he loses some money/points. Or at least he'll be more hesitant. I will keep everyone updated.

I can. It happens all the time. Assholes who don't grasp the concept that the guy right ahead of them is also a victim, and not working together with the left lane bandit.

In any event, the correct response to a left lane bandit is to work your way past them, let your blood boil for a moment, wish that the guy suffers some kind of unspeakable misery, then calm down and get on with life. Throwing a bunch of stuff at them really isn't the right thing to do.

Ken

Okay, I see. In that case, I vote you stick it to him.

And of course this kind of thing would be a lot less common if something was done about left lane campers. I've only once heard of someone in my state being pulled over for it and that was about fifteen years ago. Cops would rather go for the easy money.

If you don't have a plate number he got away.

If he gets caught, it's he said she said.

If he gets convicted in court, you can sue for civil damages.

Then he won't show up and you can put a lean against him.

You can update the lean every couple of years for a few bucks.

You can lean his car if he has no house.

He won't care, until he tries to sell the car or the house.

It won't happen until he pays you for all the damages including interest.

He will fuck himself if he gets caught.

I have his plate. I don't care how long it takes I just want him to suffer... it was his work vehicle so hopefully he'll get a pretty severe punishment through work too...

sounds like you've been there, done that too ...

I can, too. Some people are just pissed off and ignorant and are incapable of rational thought.

You know, I seem to run across a good number of assholes who look at real nice cars and do something stupid or rude, cut you off, honk, flip you off or whatever. I think it makes them feel bigger by trying to make look smaller or weaker. I think it is called penis envy. lol

It is usually some piece of shit in a piece of shit car and I just laugh at the idiots.:Eyecrazy:

and sometimes people just get excessively PO'd because of a variety of reasons in life and make a mistake in judgement. Not making any excuses for the behavior. It doesn't necessarily have to do with bigger, smaller, or pen0r size, just sayin' ...

A mistake in judgement that results in damage to someone else's property is still a crime. I don't think it had anything to do with my car or me to be honest he just was a road raging dickhead. The fact that he wanted to fight me kinda eliminates any "rush to be there", "oh my god my wife is pregnant gotta hurry!" situation.

^I hope they get caught and punished! And you get reimbursed for the damages. Wish you had cameras right about now I bet.