Florida motorcyclist rammed, driven off road by 'mystery driver' during dispute
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Florida cops are hunting for the driver seen in a shocking video ramming his car into a motorcyclist and forcing the man off the road after a dispute boiled over.
Darin Hendrickson, the motorcyclist, claimed the person behind the wheel of the gray Mazda 3 in Sarasota threw a metal object at him Sunday night, damaging his motorcycle and sparking the incident that ended with him being thrown from his vehicle.
"I thought I was dead, I mean as quick as it was, I thought it was honestly over with,” he told FOX35 Orlando. “My arm was in the window and it was hooked. I remember everything slowed down at the time, I felt like I was going one mile an hour. I could feel my hand start to burn.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Video recorded by another driver shows Hendrickson riding alongside the car and making gestures toward the driver.
"My plan was to be able to stop at a light, pull my phone out take a picture of his tag and go on over and call the cops," he told FOX35 Orlando. "I threw my hands up as a gesture for him to pull over -- 'Pull over now' is what I was telling him."
But after Hendrickson appeared to strike the passenger-side door of the car with his hand, the driver hooked a sharp right and smashed into him, sending the bike to the ground in a cloud of dust. Hendrickson, who said he didn't know the car's driver, then was dragged by the vehicle after being hit.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Hendrickson reportedly suffered fractured ribs, road rash and lacerations to his arms and legs.
Anyone with information on the driver or the incident is urged to call the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office at 941-861-4317.