Suspended Driver with a Toddler in His Car Brings Firetruck to a Stop in Road Rage Incident

[jazz lady]

On Tuesday, April 23, 2019, at approximately 2:25 p.m., firefighters on Engine 32 from the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department were returning to their station in Lexington Park, after a kitchen fire in Great Mills.

While on Great Mills Road a male in a Hyundai Sonata pulled alongside the firetruck and started yelling out his window to firefighters about the speed he perceived their truck was traveling at. The driver of the Sonata pulled in front of the fire truck and slammed on his brakes, he then came to a complete stop in the middle of the road, stopping the firetruck. The firefighters contacted dispatchers about the incident and asked for police to respond to the area.

The firetruck followed the Sonata into the parking lot of the St. Mary’s Square to provide dispatches an updated location for police.

A Trooper from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack responded to the location of the vehicle that was parked and unoccupied in front of the Weis Market and waited for the driver to return to the vehicle.

When the driver came out of the store approximately 25 minutes later he saw the trooper and walked over to him and asked directions to Tulagi Place, and asked if it was in walking distance. The Trooper then asked the driver why he didn’t just drive the Sonata to Tulagi Place. The driver of the Sonata said it wasn’t his car and denied driving it. The Sonata was not owned by the driver, but he had been pulled over in it before by police. The driver of the Sonata was also suspended at the time of the incident.

The firetrucks video card was in a locked digital video recorder and could not be reviewed by police at St. Mary’s Square.

At the time of the road rage incident, the Sonata had an infant in the backseat.

UPDATE: Suspended Driver with a Toddler in His Car Ticketed for Road Rage Incident Involving a Firetruck

Trooper First Class Joseph Rutkoski, from the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack, ticketed Christopher Tyler, 30, of Lexington Park, for driving a motor vehicle without required license, driving on a suspended license, negligent driving, unsafe lane change and stopping a vehicle in an...

smnewsnet.com

 

[Goldenhawk]

As Bugs Bunny used to say, "What a maroon." Did he really think he'd get away with it? For that matter, did he really think?

 

[TPD]

So many questions here-the first being why was the fire truck in the left-hand lane when it had to make a right turn to return to the station? One of those left lane campers?

Another question-would a private citizen with dash cam video get the same response from LE as the fire department did?

 

[TPD]

As Vrai would say-there’s more to this video. It did not start until the fire truck pulled out of the neighborhood. Was the car following the truck through the neighborhood and that’s where it felt it was speeding? Like the Maga hat wearing teenagers in Washington DC-I want to see the whole video before passing judgment

 

[glhs837]

Holy crap, lunatics everywhere.

 

[glhs837]

So many questions here-the first being why was the fire truck in the left-hand lane when it had to make a right turn to return to the station? One of those left lane campers?

Another question-would a private citizen with dash cam video get the same response from LE as the fire department did?

I'll take that one. His right turn was maybe a mile or so down the road. With a big heavy vehicle like that, you avoid what I call "turbulent flow" from drivers entering and leaving the roadway from that right lane as much as possible. Since this is a "surface street" and not a highway, the "stay right unless passing" doesn't apply and so they cannot be left lane camping. People on GMR love to dart out, I stay the hell out of the right lanes myself until right before I need to.

 

[black dog]

I'll take that one. His right turn was maybe a mile or so down the road. With a big heavy vehicle like that, you avoid what I call "turbulent flow" from drivers entering and leaving the roadway from that right lane as much as possible. Since this is a "surface street" and not a highway, the "stay right unless passing" doesn't apply and so they cannot be left lane camping. People on GMR love to dart out, I stay the hell out of the right lanes myself until right before I need to.

You wouldn't like Indiana, we have move right laws here.
If your not passing, get the **** over.

 

[Goldenhawk]

As Vrai would say-there’s more to this video. It did not start until the fire truck pulled out of the neighborhood. Was the car following the truck through the neighborhood and that’s where it felt it was speeding? Like the Maga hat wearing teenagers in Washington DC-I want to see the whole video before passing judgment

Regardless of the back story, what the video shows he did was totally wrong and ridiculously dangerous. Period. And he KNEW it or he wouldn't have done a crazy maneuver in the parking lot, tried to hide behind the car, run into the store, and lie to the police.

Nearly ended up with a fire truck bumper riding up his back window, potentially killing his kid. And he ought to be glad the fire truck driver was so level-headed.

What he SHOULD have done was called 911 if he felt the truck was doing something illegal, and left it to the police to address the situation.

 

[TPD]

I'll take that one. His right turn was maybe a mile or so down the road. With a big heavy vehicle like that, you avoid what I call "turbulent flow" from drivers entering and leaving the roadway from that right lane as much as possible. Since this is a "surface street" and not a highway, the "stay right unless passing" doesn't apply and so they cannot be left lane camping. People on GMR love to dart out, I stay the hell out of the right lanes myself until right before I need to.

Those two questions were partly sarcasm- especially the first one because of all the complaints on this forum about left lane drivers. Being a dump truck driver myself I agree with you. I stay out of the right lane on route 235 from 4 all the way down to gate two. People act stupid when they see a dump truck.

As for the second question-we already know LE would not wait around for 25 minutes for someone to come out of a store based on a private citizens report of a traffic incident.

But we all know BD fire department does not have the greatest reputation in these forums for their driving skills....

 

[TPD]

What he SHOULD have done was called 911 if he felt the truck was doing something illegal, and left it to the police to address the situation.

But we all know the response from LE by Mr Private Citizen calling 911 on “one of their own” would not be the same as the FD calling dispatch.

 

[Goldenhawk]

Reminds me of that guy who used to drive a small red pickup down GMR to the base each morning, who was well-known for super-aggressive driving and lane changes to try to force other people to obey the speed limit.

Traffic vigilante on GMR this AM:)

Damn, craziness. About say 730ish, near International Beverage. Heading eastbound, ahead of me, through traffic, I see a silver Mitsubishi Evo, passing half in the left lane, half in the center breakdown lane. "What kinda nut pulls a pass like that?" I think to myself. He didnt appear to be...

forums.somd.com

Never apparently entered his brain that what HE was doing was flat-out illegal and absolutely reckless. I followed him all the way to the office one time, and confronted him. He accused me of all kinds of things but refused to recognize the problems with his own behavior. Next time I followed him to his church and had a brief talk with his pastor. I never saw him doing that stuff again; maybe someone he trusted finally opened his eyes to how his actions were affecting others.

 

[jazz lady]

As Vrai would say-there’s more to this video. It did not start until the fire truck pulled out of the neighborhood. Was the car following the truck through the neighborhood and that’s where it felt it was speeding? Like the Maga hat wearing teenagers in Washington DC-I want to see the whole video before passing judgment

I interpreted more as the fire truck was going too slow in the left lane, the guy got impatient, cut to the right lane to pass, then back to the left lane and stopped in the middle of the road to "teach him a lesson."

The article never states what the actual speed of the fire truck was, interestingly enough.

 

[glhs837]

You wouldn't like Indiana, we have move right laws here.
If your not passing, get the **** over.

You also have my ex-wife there, so there's the main reason I'm not a fan But in any case, I've not seen where more over laws apply to downtown streets, is that the case there? From my visits to Cloverdale and Terra Haute and Bloomington and Indy itself, I dont recall that being the case. This isn't Rt 235 or Rt 4, it's Great Mills Road. Not Route 70, it's more like any street in Terre Haute in that sense. Speed limit 40 in that stretch, 35 about 1/4 mile ahead.

I love me some keep right laws, but I also dont expect them to apply on every single road.

 

[gemma_rae]

I stay as far away as possible from every Sonata and Fire truck I see.

 

[Goldenhawk]

The article never states what the actual speed of the fire truck was, interestingly enough.

If you listen really closely, you can hear the truck window rolled down, the right-seat firefighter asking what's wrong, and the guy yelling at them; I've done some noise reduction on it and he asked "Why are y'all allowed to break the speed limit?" The firefighter replies "Break the speed limit?" and he says something like "Y'all were just doin' fifty" at which point the audio goes silent (conveniently enough for the fire engine crew). I suppose you could infer that they were driving on Pegg or Westbury faster than he thought they should. (Of course, for him to know their actual speed, he would have had to go the same speed to pace them...)

 

[Tech]

Look at those crazy driving firemen.
Man with toddler in car "Hold my beer."

 

[black dog]

You also have my ex-wife there, so there's the main reason I'm not a fan But in any case, I've not seen where more over laws apply to downtown streets, is that the case there? From my visits to Cloverdale and Terra Haute and Bloomington and Indy itself, I dont recall that being the case. This isn't Rt 235 or Rt 4, it's Great Mills Road. Not Route 70, it's more like any street in Terre Haute in that sense. Speed limit 40 in that stretch, 35 about 1/4 mile ahead.

I love me some keep right laws, but I also dont expect them to apply on every single road.

Welcome to Indiana,
When there is more than one lane, and someone is closing in on you, move to the right.

 

[glhs837]

Welcome to Indiana,
When there is more than one lane, and someone is closing in on you, move to the right.

That law seems to only apply to vehicles that are operating at less than the speed limit.... and don't take this to mean I don't move over, but on a road like Great Mills, I dont think slow and fast lane apply.


https://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-9-motor-vehicles/in-code-sect-9-21-5-9.html

Sec. 9 . (a) A vehicle that travels at a speed less than the established maximum shall travel in the right lanes to provide for better flow of traffic on the interstate highways.
(b) This subsection applies to the operation of a vehicle:
(1) on a roadway that has two (2) or more lanes of traffic in each direction;  and
(2) in the left most lane, other than a lane designated for high occupancy vehicles.
Except as provided in subsection (c), a person who knows, or should reasonably know, that another vehicle is overtaking from the rear the vehicle that the person is operating may not continue to operate the vehicle in the left most lane.
(c) Subsection (b) does not apply:
(1) when traffic conditions or congestion make it necessary to operate a vehicle in the left most lane;

 

[black dog]

That law seems to only apply to vehicles that are operating at less than the speed limit.... and don't take this to mean I don't move over, but on a road like Great Mills, I dont think slow and fast lane apply.


https://codes.findlaw.com/in/title-9-motor-vehicles/in-code-sect-9-21-5-9.html

Nope, you can earn a ticket for not moving over while doing above the speed limit here.

Except as provided in subsection (c), a person who knows, or should reasonably know, that another vehicle is overtaking from the rear the vehicle that the person is operating may not continue to operate the vehicle in the left most lane.

 

[glhs837]

Nope, you can earn a ticket for not moving over while doing above the speed limit here.

Except as provided in subsection (c), a person who knows, or should reasonably know, that another vehicle is overtaking from the rear the vehicle that the person is operating may not continue to operate the vehicle in the left most lane.

Pretty sure nobody in the history on Indiana has gotten such a ticket on a road like this.......

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.700...1zR9uFKflmq5fIPIURVg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en