By Yasemin Talat
A Hillside man was left shaken and feeling lucky to be alive after a road rage incident on the Western Ring Road on Tuesday morning.
John Montalto, 48, was travelling south in the right-hand lane of the Western Ring Road near Airport West about 11.20am when a truck driver started to tailgate him.
Mr Montalto said he was rammed three times by the truck, with the final hit forcing him to veer off the road into the centre median strip and into a light pole.
His silver Nissa
n 4WD was written off and Mr Montalto described himself as “lucky to be alive”. He escaped serious injury but said the accident brought back bad memories of another serious accident he had six years ago. He was left shaken and concerned for the safety of other drivers, with the truck driver still at large.
“It was not an accident; he did ram me. It just happened – bang, bang, bang,” he said. “It was a deliberate push off the road.”
Mr Montalto said he was driving at least 80km/h at the time of the ramming incident.
“It was scary, I could have been killed. I’m lucky it was only me in the car; if there was someone else he could have killed them, and I was lucky I didn’t kill anyone else.”
Mr Montalto was treated at the scene by paramedics for shock and whiplash. He described the truck driver as an “idiot” and “a gutless wonder”.
After the ramming, the truck driver accelerated rapidly, veering across three lanes and exiting at the Calder Freeway overpass, taking the Keilor Park Drive exit.
Police are investigating the incident and are appealing to the public for information to help identify the truck driver.
Constable Jagy Singh Kehal, of Keilor Downs police, said the truckie was not driving professionally. “It’s always good to keep a safe distance. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, safety should be paramount,” Constable Kehal said. The truck is described as being a white cab-over semi, which was towing a plain white trailer.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
