Another Crazy Driver, Another Chicago Area Road Rage Incident

On Tuesday evening CBS 2 Chicago reported on a road rage incident in which a bicyclist, Tim Heath, was intentionally struck by a motorist near 2779 North Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. Apparently, the two had gotten into an argument over lane space before the driver lost it and decided to run the biker down. He was lucky to avoid serious injury. Here is a link to the full story with video. At the end of the piece the reporter, Vince Gerasole, states that the police said that the woman agreed to turn herself in. It is unclear presently whether that has occurred and what charges she may face.

If precedent is any guide, the driver could face jail time. On Sunday I posted a story about a similar incident in which a driver intentionally struck a bicyclist in Naperville. In that matter, the driver reached a plea deal with prosecutors in which she pleaded guilty to felony aggravated battery in a public place. She was sentenced to 42 days in jail (but will serve only half that time for some reason). She is also to pay $3,252 in restitution to the bicyclist and $1,620 in fines and court costs. Let's hope that this most recent road rage incident is aggressively pursued by Chicago police and the Cook County States Attorney's Office. Hopefully CBS will also provide some follow up.