See It: Apparent Case Of Road Rage Causes Tractor-Trailer To Flip On Its Side On Route 17 In Mahwah
MAHWAH, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- It's a miracle no one was hurt.
That was the consensus from the Mahwah Police Department after an apparent case of road rage led to a tractor-trailer flipping on to its side on Route 17 on the morning of Aug. 9.
A driver of a grey SUV told police a tractor-trailer heading northbound was "driving in an aggressive manner and changing lanes in a reckless manner." The driver of the tractor-trailer said the SUV driver pulled ahead of him and then applied his breaks. The driver of the tractor-trailer told police he started to lose control of the big rig before eventually hitting the median and flipping on his side.
Dash cam video from a tractor-trailer trailing the two vehicles captured the crash. The footage "underscores the dangers of an increasing trend of road-rage incidents," Mahwah Police Chief James N. Batelli said Tuesday, adding, "Miraculously no other vehicles struck the tractor which could have resulted in a major accident event."
Baltelli expressed relief that, "no one was injured in this accident and that the substance he was carrying did not contain any hazardous or combustible materials."
Both the SUV driver and tractor-trailer driver were hit with multiple tickets, the chief said.
MORE: Cyclist Stabs Skateboarder During Apparent Road Rage Melee In Manhattan
According to Batelli, there has been an increase in road rage incidents on local highways and drivers are greatly concerned.
"In a 2016 study, nearly 80 percent of motorists expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the past year," Baltelli said.
Baltelli said drivers concerned about what they are seeing on the road should report incidents by calling 911 and providing detailed information to the dispatcher.
