> 'Road rage to extreme'
> By AARON WILLIAMS
> BEE STAFF WRITER
> (Published: Thursday, July 06, 2000)
>
> BEE STAFF WRITERS
>
> A Turlock trucker ran down a motorcyclist Wednesday afternoon, bringing to
> an end a highway vendetta that stretched from southern San Joaquin County to
> the Vintage Faire Mall offramp, Modesto police said.
>
> The big rig crashed into the cycle, and the rider went flying over the
> truck's engine and landed at the side of the road. The truck continued for
> about 200 yards, with the Harley-Davidson cycle lodged in the bumper.
>
> The motorcyclist, Michael McClatchy, 30, of Stockton, was in serious
> condition late Wednesday in a Modesto hospital with severe injuries to his
> legs, a nursing supervisor said.
>
> The big rig driver, John Fagundes, 45, of Turlock, was booked at
Stanislaus
> County Jail for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon. More serious
> charges could be filed, depending on the victim's condition and the
> investigation, police spokesman Terry Miller said.
>
> "This is really taking road rage to the extreme," Miller said. "To have a
> truck driver intentionally run over a motorcyclist. It's the first time I've
> seen something like this."
>
> The crash occurred at about 3 p.m. on the Standiford Avenue-Beckwith Road
> offramp from southbound Highway 99. The incident began at least half an hour
> earlier, police said. There were conflicting reports about whether it started
> near Manteca or French Camp.
>
> It also was unclear exactly what started the feud. Fagundes said the
> confrontation began near the Highway 120 exit in Manteca when the
motorcyclist
> slowed down in front of him and made an obscene finger gesture.
>
> Fagundes said he passed the Harley and saw the motorcyclist pull to the
side
> of the road and pick up some rocks. The biker then caught up to the big rig
and
> began pelting it with rocks as the two continued southbound, Fagundes said.
>
> After the incident, Fagundes pointed to marks on his truck he said were
> caused by the thrown rocks. California Highway Patrol officers at the scene
> could not confirm Fagundes' claim.
>
> As the two neared Modesto, Fagundes called 911 from a cell phone. "I
called
> 911 telling them to get someone out here, that he was throwing rocks at my
> truck," he said.
>
> At 3 p.m., McClatchy exited the highway and started climbing the
> Beckwith-Standiford offramp. A witness told police he saw the truck cut
across
> two lanes to get onto the offramp and then accelerate to catch up with the
> bike.
>
> "I saw black smoke coming from his stacks which means he was
accelerating,"
> the witness said. "You could see the truck was after him."
>
> The big rig caught McClatchy about halfway up the offramp.
>
> Modesto's Karyn Brooks was exiting the highway at the same time and saw
the
> motorcycle and truck coming at her from behind: "I looked in my rearview
mirror
> when I heard the noise. The truck was barreling up the offramp. He was going
a
> lot faster than he should have been."
>
> Brooks stopped to help the biker after he'd fallen to the side of the
road.
> She said a big chunk of his helmet had broken off and that his legs were
> mangled.
>
> The motorcycle remained upright, locked under the big rig's bumper. The
> bike's undercarriage carved a rut in the pavement, and the front tire left a
> dark skid mark that stretched up the offramp, across the intersection and
down
> the onramp where the truck came to a stop.
>
> Both ramps remained closed seven hours later as officers continued to
> investigate the crash.
>
>
-Philip-
To those who kvetch, more
time is added to their lives.