Often enough, criminal acts are the result of unmanaged anger. We’ve all heard of road rage, where an angry driver overreacts to a stranger’s irritating driving habits. Sometimes the events escalate to the point where the two drivers pull off the road and argue, or even fight. Afterwards it can be hard to explain why pulling over seemed like it would help.
Being angry isn’t the problem; it’s what you do with the anger that can cause problems. In a recent case, a 23-year-old man inverted the idea of road rage when he became enraged with his 18-year-old female friend, who was driving. According to reports, he was angry that she refused to take him to Baltimore, where he planned to buy drugs.
The car was traveling at 50 to 60 mph near Peach Bottom Township in York County. The enraged young man expressed his displeasure by pulling the emergency brake lever.
The sudden application of the brake created a skid and caused the car to roll over. The man is said to have crawled out and run away without stopping to help the woman. She was taken to York Hospital, where she had staples put in her head to treat injuries.
The man is probably over his momentary rage, but the consequences may be with him for some time. He was charged with aggravated assault and another felony called “risking a catastrophe,” along with misdemeanor assault and reckless endangerment. His bail was set at $30,000 but he was unable to afford it.
Meanwhile, the young woman had a bit of revenge. After the crash, she posted a request for the man’s arrest on Facebook. The post has apparently been shared over 500 times.
“If somebody does something ignorant like that, I would love for the world to know,” she commented.
There’s no doubt that pulling a driver’s emergency brake at 50 or 60 mph would be an extremely foolish thing to do — and it’s probably something no one would do except under the influence of uncontrolled fury.
Without commenting on this particular man’s guilt, it’s fair to say that sometimes, people make mistakes. Sometimes, those mistakes are pretty serious and hard to explain.
That’s when you need an experienced, dedicated criminal defense attorney to protect your rights and help you figure out the best way forward.