Alleged Road Rage Leads to Crash on New York State Highway

Police in New York state arrested a 25-year-old Ogdensburg man Sunday after they say he had intentionally used his vehicle to strike another person.

Was this another case of road rage? While there are still some unanswered questions exactly how it all began, a man on a motorcycle ended up being taken to nearby hospital, according to police.

According to statistics from Safe Motorist, a total of 12,610 injuries and 218 murders have been attributed to road rage over a seven-year period in the United States.

NY State Officials Call to Remove High Risk Drivers From the Road

Some within the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles have called for tougher measures to get "high risk drivers" such as those who commit road rage off the roads

Truck vs. Motorcycle

The New York State Police said in a press release that troopers responded in the town of Lisbon for a possible car versus motorcycle collision Saturday night.

An investigation determined two motorcycles and a pickup truck were traveling west on State Route 68, in the town of Lisbon.  All drivers came to a stop at a stop sign. State Police say the driver of the pickup truck got out of the vehicle and started having a verbal altercation with a driver of an uninvolved vehicle.

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Police have not said who the other driver was, or how the argument began. However, they say a 57-year-old man riding one of the motorcycles involved himself in the argument. This did not sit well with the suspect in the truck, as police say he made threatened remarks to punch the other man in the face for getting involved.

Police Say Truck Backs into Motorcycle on Purpose 

It initially appeared that the conflict had ended, as the pickup driver and two motorcyclists proceeded west on the Highway 68. However, State Police say the suspect began driving erratically while throwing objects out of the window at the first man on the motorcycle, as well as the other operator of the other motorcycle.

Officials say that the second motorcyclist was able to safely pass the suspect's vehicle.  

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The first motorcyclist attempted to pass the suspect in the truck too, though officials say the suspect swerved into his lane of travel and wouldn't allow him to pass. This is when police say the suspect made an abrupt stop in the road, placed his truck in reverse, and struck the victim's motorcycle.

The collision caused the victim to be ejected from the motorcycle, as police say the suspect in the pickup truck fled the scene. The victim was treated by EMS on scene and transported to the hospital for bruised ribs.

The suspect was arrested the following day and charged with 2nd degree assault, and 2nd degree menacing.