SEEING RED
Watch moment £50k Mercedes mows down deliveryman for blocking the street to drop off dishwasher in road rage attack
A DELIVERY driver was mowed down by a £50,000 Mercedes in a road rage attack while dropping off a dishwasher.
Grandfather Mark Roberts, 48, is "lucky to be alive" after the Mercedes driver was furious about his lorry blocking the road.
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The Currys PC World delivery driver was hit by driver by David Lewis, 62, after a row - and he had agreed to moved his lorry so he could pass.
And CCTV pictures captured the moment Mr Roberts was hit in the narrow street at the Mercedes tried to squeeze by after the bust-up.
Prosecutor Nuhu Gobir , prosecuting, said it was "described as road rage" when the two men were confronted in narrow Lewis Street in the village of Aberbargoed, near Caerphilly, South Wales.
Mr Gobir said: “Lewis Street is a narrow residential street which meant Mr Roberts had to park in the middle of the road.
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“Whilst he was inside the house, he could hear the sound of a car beeping multiple times outside.”
Jurors were shown CCTV footage capturing the offence in which Lewis hit Mr Roberts in his silver Mercedes car following a “heated exchange” between them.
The victim was "knocked over" and treated in hospital for a swollen right elbow along with superficial wounds to the back of his elbow and wrist.
Lewis was found guilty of dangerous driving after the jury saw the CCTV - and Mr Roberts branded him a bully.
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Mr Roberts said: “I could have been killed, there’s no doubt about that.
“He could have crushed me against my lorry – it was lucky that I managed to roll under the vehicle.
“It could have been a hell of a lot worse.”
Cardiff Crown Court heard Lewis was angry that Mr Roberts had briefly blocked the road at 7.30am in July 2020.
The court heard the two rowed - and "Mr Roberts gave as good as he got during that initial exchange."
Mr Roberts said: “Lewis was trying to intimidate me, he was bullying me, but I wasn’t going to back down.
“I was aggressive back to him but I didn’t deserve what happened to me.”
Mr Roberts agreed to move the lorry before Lewis ran him over as he got out of the vehicle.
Fortunately Mr Roberts suffered only a swollen right elbow along with superficial wounds to the back of his elbow and wrist.
Judge Shomon Khan told Lewis: “Neither of you behaved ideally, I think that’s something that we all agree upon. It was like children.
“You are far too old and hopefully wise to act like that, you recognise that.
“And in fairness it’s quite clear to me from the evidence that Mr Roberts didn’t behave perfectly, and he accepted that, but he didn’t deserve the injuries that he received.
“The neighbour on the street who knew you said he was trying to calm you down like you were children – and that’s an embarrassment to both of you, but to you in particular.
“You were more the aggressor than the other person. But I accept this wasn’t a deliberate act by you.”
Lewis, of nearby Argoed, was found guilty of dangerous driving but cleared of assault - after saying he didn't intend to hit the delivery driver. He was given a 12 month suspended sentence nd ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work.
He was banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay £750 towards prosecution costs.
After the case, Mr Robert said: “I was in agony at the time and I was in a dark place for a long time afterwards.
“I had trouble sleeping for about four or five months.
“I would be lying in bed until 4 or 5am playing things over and over in my mind.
“Things are getting better now and I am determined not to let him grind me down.”
Mr Roberts admitted that "getting stick" from hostile drivers was an occupational hazard for delivery drivers.
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“Delivery drivers have to put up with a lot of abuse when they are going about their day," he said.
“It doesn’t happen on a daily basis but we do get people swearing at us a lot.”
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