SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Road rage victim says trauma of seeing his badly beaten face was ‘horrifying’
Feb 21, 2013, 5:55 PM | Updated: Feb 22, 2013, 6:38 am
The victim of a brutal road rage beating in Spanaway tells Ron and Don he's slowly improving, but seeing his badly beaten face was "traumatizing" (Bradford family photo)
(Bradford family photo)
The victim of a brutal road rage beating in Spanaway says he might have deserved to get punched, but not beaten nearly to death.
Scott Bradford joined KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don Thursday for the first time since his release from the hospital. Speaking gingerly through a broken jaw wired shut, Bradford recounted what happened when he accidentally cut a guy off as he drove last Monday. He says the guy kept tailgating and wouldn’t let it go.
“He was riding my ass and I shot put on my brakes because it pissed me off,” he said. But then the guy started chasing him, and Bradford did all he could to get away.
“He wouldn’t let off. I took a right, tried to lose him. I took a left, tried to lose him. I went fast, tried to lose him. I made U-turns in the middle of the highway trying to lose him.”
After about 15 minutes, Bradford decided to just pull over, step out of his car and apologize. It was a big mistake. The suspect jumped out and smashed him in the face, then beat him repeatedly until a disabled Vietnam vet pulled over and interceded. The attacker fled.
“Maybe I deserved a punch in the face and then a walkaway, but he beat me, I’m pretty sure he thought I was dead and that was good enough,” said Bradford.
Now, he just wants the guy caught. So far, police say they still don’t have a good lead.
“If he gets in a situation like that again he might kill somebody for sure.”
Bradford is now recovering at home from the broken jaw and multiple fractures in his face. He’s hoping to avoid more surgeries, and says he was traumatized to see pictures of his badly beaten face after the attack.
“I was horrified when they showed me the pictures, when I first came into the hospital. Man, it was traumatizing, my eyes were just glued shut, tubes coming out of my face.”
A reward fund has grown to nearly $4,000 to help catch the attacker, and police continue seeking any tips that can help identify him. You can make a donation or offer tips at the Crimestoppers Tacoma/Pierce County website.
