A case of assault is being investigated by Norkem police after a Terenure man was assaulted in a road rage incident on Monday, last week.
An Edenvale company truck driver allegedly beat up Rodger Cuyler in broad daylight following a misunderstanding near the Birchgate Spar in Birch Acres.
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This comes after SAA pilot Jacques van Tonder shot and killed Boksburg resident Louis Jansen van Rensburg on May 6 in an alleged road rage incident in Boanero Park.
Van Tonder is currently out on R10 000 bail and is due to make his next court appearance on Friday.
According to Ilze Els, her fiancé Cuyler was on his way to the couple’s home close to the Spar at about noon on the day of the incident.
The 36-year-old Senior Supervisor at a Boksburg business was driving home along De Wiekus Road in Van Riebeeck Park, before crossing over the P91 and onto Kwartel Road.
“As Rodger (Cuyler) turned right into the small street, the truck driver started making a U-turn to leave the open gravel space just outside the shopping centre’s premises,” Els explained.
Cuyler hooted at the driver to alert him that he was approaching the road. According to Els, her fiancé was then forced to slam on the brakes and blew the hooter again at the driver, (who hadn’t checked for oncoming traffic).
Cuyler said the driver then stopped the truck and climbed out of the vehicle, he (Cuyler) also alighted his.
“I then asked him if he could not see in his mirrors that there was a car coming his way. He then went to the cab of the truck and came back holding a stick, which I didn’t really get a good look at. He then took a swing at me using the stick, which I managed to avoid by ducking out the way,” Cuyler recalls.
He wasn’t so lucky the second time around, because the driver took a second swing at him and managed to hit him on the back of his left shoulder, causing Cuyler to stumble a little towards his right hand side.
“And without a word after that, he just went back to the truck and drove off, leaving me there,” Cuyler said.
He then waited for Els to get home as his shoulder (which was bruised by now) was hurting and he struggled to drive.
The couple made their way to the police station to report the matter.
“We also reported the incident to the company’s management, who said they would handle the matter internally and a formal hearing would be held for the driver,” Els said.
