LA doctor on trial for injuring cyclist in alledged road rage

[Chuck]

Christopher Thomas Thompson, a 60-year-old physician, faces one felony count of reckless driving causing injury and two felony counts of battery with serious injury.

Ann M. Simmons - LATIMES - Oct 17, 2009

Did he forget his profession is healing? --Ed.

A bicyclist testified Friday that a Brentwood doctor deliberately slammed on his car brakes in an effort to injure him and a companion last year as they rode down a narrow stretch of Mandeville Canyon Road in Brentwood.

Christian Stoehr recalled hearing the engine noise of an approaching car and then an "angry honk" of a horn. When he and a fellow rider fell into single file to let the driver past, Stoehr testified that the motorist zoomed up alongside them, exchanged angry words and then pulled in front of them and hit his brakes.... [Read More]

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Well, I don't think I'd want to be treated by that doctor, if guilty. If guilty, I hope there was damage to the car so there was evidence of the location of the collision.

I was "cycle-raged" a bit like that, probably because I'd filtered past the car. Fortunately I wasn't hurt.
On a two lane city avenue a driver who had not long passed me stopped in the middle of the two lanes. I should have trusted my instincts but continued cycling at normal speed towards the car. As I got close on its inside the driver pulled across, forcing me to the sidewalk. (And no, It wasn't a cycle path) Fortunately I was able to stop without falling, I think because there was a low curb. Since I hadn't trusted my instincts I didn't read the license plate and a truck driver behind said that he didn't see it.

Some people just had to be inconvenienced by those uninsured, non-fuel-tax-paying, non-registration-paying, slow-moving cyclist. It's something the healthier, wealthier cyclists just have to put up with. Of course there are lots of cyclo-pedestrians and signage-blind cyclists but there are plenty of *******s in cars.

I'm a driving commuter now, so now I'm one of those slow-moving(, posted-speed law-abiding), gently-accelerating, stop-light coasting drivers that hold everybody up. (If I get a Prius, as I hope and intend that'll just wind people up even more. )

I'm far from perfect. The one really bad thing I do occasionally is drive closely behind somebody who just _had_ to overtake me while I coasted to a red light or to get ahead before a merge. C'mon, you're in a hurry, get moving! I don't do it for long, the idea is just to make them think about it. (I learned a "trick" behind someone who did an overtake-and-merge on me: the fake turn signal - it makes the driver behind back off and you don't have to slow down.) The other thing I do is the post-incident honk. It's something you shouldn't do, since it's more likely to make a selfish driver behave even more selfishly. On my commute the honk is usually at the same place because of the selfish *******s who make a right-turn on red and make me change my pattern of acceleration or deceleration which I'm doing to time the lights. The selfish right-on-red is my biggest peeve, closely followed by solid-white-line crossing lane changes in the line of traffic behind me before I've had a chance legally to move over. That reminds me of the other bad thing I do: I move over and make them hit their brakes and wait while the people who waited patiently can overtake. (Go on, report that one to the cops.)

[phoebeisis]

This is a hot topic over on bike forum.I got myself in trouble by suggesting that bantering back and forth with a pissed off car driver was a very bad idea.They said I was "blaming the victim."
When I'm riding a bike, I don't reply-verbally or in sign language- to any negative comments I get from car drivers. Others apparently do reply in all sorts of ways.

Yes, there was plenty of damage to the car, since one of the riders literally went thru the rear window( hard to believe, but that is what I read-all the way thru the window, not just putting a face print on the window, going thru the window??) The other rider went over the car-an Infinity-expensive car with a crazed driver. I have a lot of trouble picturing a rider going thru what must be a sloped window,but that is what I read?? I would expect to hit the sloping window and be propelled over the roof like the other rider.
It was in Brentwood?? Was that where OJ's ex wife lived?
Charlie

[Indigo]

I made an abortive experiment out of driving my bicycle to work last summer. Lemme tell ya: the Hummer/Suburban/Escalade drivers made it a habit of gunning their engines and swerving at me. They would get within a hand's width on purpose. I already hated SUV owners, but these incidents gave me more concrete reasons to dislike them.

[jhu]

This guy is an ER physician I think. That's what makes this a little weird: he sees stuff like this!

When I commuted on my bike in Sacramento (before my bike was stolen), I never had any problems with drivers. Guess it all depends on the locale.

[phoebeisis]

My impression is that the west coast, some of the east coast, and most college towns are bike friendly.
I ride in NOLA and suburbs-definitely not bike aware and not bike friendly.On the other hand we drive to Flagstaff AZ and stay at the La Quinta for 6 days every summer when we have the $$(wife likes the SW and La Quinta likes pets).Flagstaff is so bike friendly it is frightening. One time toward dusk I was climbing a hill(slowly since I'm a flatlander, overweight, and 58 yo) and a car waited for me to cross in front of him before pulling out of an apt complex.He waited a good 10-15 seconds as I laboriously pedaled past. I ACTUALLY THOUGHT HE WAS LAYING FOR ME-TO ROB ME, OR STRAFE ME!! No he was being nice and polite.
Flagstaff is a college town, of course-NAU- I think.

Yes, this psycho is a 60 YO MD- 60 YO!! What 60 yo gets into this sort of road rage??Usually folks have made peace with the world by the time they hit 60.

I can see being a LITTLE annoyed at bike riders taking a whole lane when they don't have to, but a little annoyed means mumbling/cursing under your breath, not howling out the window and trying to strain them through the back window of your $60,000 car. This episode -boiled down- was about this guy being delayed maybe 10-15 seconds.

This is why I never engage in any sort of discourse with pissed off drivers. Some of them are waaaaaaay crazy, and will kill you. They are controlling(more or less) 4000+ lbs of steel/aluminum/glass-don't want to set any of these folks off.

Charlie
PS I've never been hit from behind, but for some reason my biggest fear is the big dual wheeled diesel pickups passing me. They see to gun the engine a bit when they swing out to pass, and those big mirrors, and wide rear wheels come pretty close to me. Maybe it is that diesel rattle. I've never noticed that the big vehicles "try" to scare me more than the cars. The folks that intentionally come too close are always under 30 yo males-sometimes it is on a Friday/Sat night when drinking is more common-Toss beer cans etc

[ILAveo]

Originally Posted by phoebeisis

Yes, this psycho is a 60 YO MD- 60 YO!! What 60 yo gets into this sort of road rage?.....Usually folks have made peace with the world by the time they hit 60.
....

I don't bike ride much any more (blind hills by my current house.) My experience back in the was that there were two groups who hated sharing the road. The aforementioned rednecks in extended adolescence and the 60ish male menopause crowd who think they own the road because they pay taxes.

The only thing I would discuss with either group was whether they had been drinking .

[phoebeisis]

ILAveo.
You have a point-the young guys are just boozed up bozos-the older ones are absolutely convinced "I am in the right."
This md obviously is in the "I am right" group.

The worst bunch of course-especially if you are on a less maneuverable machine like a motorcycle- is those showing "the cell phone sign"-hand at the side of head.
I've almost given up motorcycle riding because of cell phones.
Thanks
Charlie

[Chuck]

I sure could not sit on that jury - tonight a woman blasthing into a church parking lot at 25-30 gave me a piece of her disturbed mind for "being in her way"

I'd like to read a psychologist studying why millions feel entitled to this roadway warfare.

[Chuck]

I included the video.

Doctor not rendering aid AND injuring a biker - will he be able to practice after this?