Motorcyclist Injured in Alleged Road Rage Crash

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in Escondido Thursday in a crash allegedly caused by road rage, officials confirmed.

The collision involving a Volkswagen Passat and motorcycle happened just before noon near Centre City Parkway and Valley Parkway, in front of a Chase Bank.

Escondido police say the driver of the Volkswagen allegedly made a sharp left turn into the motorcycle and then rolled over the motorcyclist.

The Harley Davidson wound up wedged underneath the vehicle.

The motorcyclist, Rickie Ormsby, was seriously injured in the crash and transported to Palomar Hospital for treatment. He suffered a broken femur, but is expected to survive, officials said.

Police suspect the crash may have been caused on purpose, stemming from road rage.

Authorities received several 911 calls from people moments before the crash as they watched the alleged road rage incident escalate from several blocks to the east of the crash site.

“The two vehicles [were] paralleling each other. It sounds like the subject on the motorcycle may have been trying to kick the vehicle while it was in motion and, at some point, the subject in the car had enough and took action into his own hands,” Lt. Eric Skaja of the Escondido Police Department exclusively told NBC 7.

The driver of the Volkswagen, identified as Escondido resident Joe Allen, was arrested and is now facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and using a vehicle to cause great bodily injury.

“It was an intentional act and the male driving the car was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon," Lt. Skaja added.

The investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Ormsby underwent surgery following the crash.

His wife, Cari Ormsby, spoke exclusively to NBC 7 Thursday night about the incident that left her husband hospitalized. She said she was shocked to learn her husband had been hit during his ride to work.

“I freaked out. I instantly started shaking and burst out in tears,” she recalled.

Cari said the crash was extremely scary for her husband.

“He said he could hear the engine revving while he was underneath the car. He was fearful he was going to get run over a second time,” she said.

“I don't know if that guy was just having a bad day or they were taking his house away from him. It just gives you no right to treat other people that way,” she continued.

Cari said her husband was allegedly trying to warn Allen not to start a fight on the road prior to the crash.

Ormsby told his wife he thought Allen was trying to leave the scene after they collided.

He told Cari that bystanders and other motorists were yelling for the suspect to turn off his car, and eventually took his keys while waiting for police to arrive. An undercover police officer sitting in traffic in the area also witnessed the entire incident.

Cari said her husband’s recovery could take up to six months, but she’s grateful he survived.

“I’m thankful he is alive. I really think he could have died,” she said.

Escondido police say road rage incidents are more common than most people might think, but rarely does a case of road rage escalate into a criminal act.

However, if this case is an act of road rage, it wouldn’t be the first time an incident like this has occurred in San Diego.

Back in May, a road raged driver intentionally hit a motorcycle carrying two people on the Coronado Bay Bridge, right in the middle of traffic. The accused road raged driver in that crash was also arrested.

Contact Us