Road Rage in a Parking Lot

I backed my car out of its space being careful to avoid hitting a huge truck that was jutting out past the lines. I kept close watch in my mirror. Then I was about a foot away, I stopped, put the car in forward and drove about ten feet to the stop sign for the inner road of the lot, passing a truck that entered. Then I drove another 20 feet to the stop sign at the main road of the parking lot. There was a local police car with an officer writing a report.

I hear someone yelling and screaming. A red-faced man was charging my car claiming I hit him. I said I didn’t feel anything or see the vehicles touch. He continued his red-faced rage. The officer got out of the cruiser with his hand on his gun, put up hand for the red-faced man to calm down. 

The officer looked at me for an explanation. I said, “I felt nothing, saw nothing.” My passenger said, “We didn’t hit him.”

He looked at the red-faced man and said, “Was there any damage?” The man said. “No.”

The officer instructed the red-faced man to leave. I drove away.

Afterward, I checked my bumper and found not even a scratch or smudge. I can only imagine that the truck that passed me touch this man’s bumper and he thought it was I who did it.

This event shows how quickly an enraged person can cause a major incident. Even if he was hit, and there was damage, his response was totally inappropriate.