A biker was left with a fractured wrist following a road rage incident in Bolton. Frank Sharp was travelling along Manchester Road in the Westhoughton area when he was assaulted on March 19. The 56-year-old was driving near the BP garage when a red car suddenly pulled out in front of him.
Frank flashed his headlights to make the driver aware of his presence. He claims the driver then braked suddenly and swore at him from out the window.
After giving himself enough distance and making sure the road was clear, Frank overtook the driver and approached some traffic lights which were on red. He then spotted the driver behind him who had stopped and exited his car.
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The driver then verbally abused Frank before pushing him, leading him to crash into a nearby van. The assault left him with a fractured wrist which may require surgery and his motorbike has been written off.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Frank, who lives in Chorley, said: “I flashed the guy to say I’m here and to back off. I never thought anything of it.
“He stuck his arm out the window and gave me the V sign and brake-tested me by slamming on in front of me. I backed off anyway and gave myself loads of distance. Instead of slowing down, I went past him and carried on towards Tesco. The lights were on red.
“I looked in the mirror and saw him getting out the car. He came up to me and said, ‘What’s your f****** problem?’
“He said I shouldn’t have been going so fast but I was doing 20 to 30mph if that. He pushed me and I completely lost control of the bike. I went into the back of a parked van.
“As I was lying on the floor I looked around and saw him running back. I did some damage to the back of the van; the driver looked after me until my wife came and we swapped details.
“I’ve got a fractured wrist and bruising everywhere. It’s one of those things – I only passed my test last year so I’m a new rider. I thought it was something I did wrong but it’s something you don’t expect to happen.
“It was completely out of my control. I’ve come to terms with it. I was a bit annoyed that it happened because my bike is a write-off so I have to go through all those details.”
A spokesman for GMP said the investigation into the assault is currently ongoing.
The driver has been described as being a man with brown hair in his mid to late 20s. He spoke with a Liverpool accent and was around 5’8” to 5’11”. He was driving a red car, thought to be a Vauxhall.
Anyone with information should contact police quoting 1891 19/03/22 via gmp.police.uk or 101.
