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ROAD RAGE STORY: LUCY LAPORTA

Experts warn us never to confront another driver, especially one who is angry, because there simply is no way of predicting how the other driver will respond.

It's a lesson Lucy Laporta and her husband, Eric, learned the hard way on a warm July evening in 2001 when a small, trivial disagreement with another driver lead to violent consequences.

Lucy Laporta: It was a Monday night. We were heading south on Kennedy Road, about 9, 9:30. And we were in the right hand lane and as we were turning into the right hand lane the gentleman behind cut us off, went around us. And as we were turning the corner my husband flashed his lights at him, to say hey what'd you do that for. So he took off. Very, very fast. Cut off a tow truck driver that was in the other lane, and took off.

And as we reached Mack Avenue and Danforth Road, which is near Warden, he was stopped and I said to my husband, oh, there's that guy that cut us off. I wonder what he's doing there so, and he started pulling up beside us.

the fifth estate: Could you hear what he was saying to you?

Lucy Laporta: No. No because I had my window up.

the fifth estate: And he couldn't hear what you were saying.

Lucy Laporta: No.

the fifth estate: And what were you saying?

Lucy Laporta: Oh what an asshole, blahblahblah, you know. What the hell's your problem. And he was mouthing off and I went, oh, you know, stuck my finger up and he put a bullet into my car.

The first one came in my head, at my head. And then we realized it was a bullet at that point in time and took off. He put four bullets into the car; 3 that came into the window, one in front, exited, one in front exited in front of the rear view mirror, and the third one exited in front of my husband. And then one of those bullets, I'm not sure which one, hit me in the thigh through the door.

I was, I was just in shock, petrified, scared, just wanted to run, get away, hide. I was, I was never so petrified in my whole life as I was at that particular moment. I'm thinking somebody, somebody actually shot at us, I can't believe it. Somebody actually shot at us. And then he took off.

the fifth estate: So what is it you think you did then that put him over the edge?

Lucy Laporta: I guess I started mouthing off at him, I suppose, and I didn't, he didn't like the finger, I suppose. I don't know. It's not like we did anything other than flash our lights at him, period.

I think it's very scary. Because you know, even now to this day, you know, you don't look at people the same. You don't look at the cars beside you. I mean, I'm in my car every day.

For about six months when I went out that door every day, you know, you look around to see who's around you at all times, yeah. For about six months. And it took me about 2 years before I could stop thinking about it. I had nightmares for a while.

the fifth estate: But it still affects the way you drive, would you say?

Lucy Laporta: No, because I still drive the same way. I just, you know, if I see people around me that are aggressive, I just stay back, I hold myself back. I get into the other lane and move away because people are aggressive. I see them on the highway every day, I just stay back, move away. I don't wanna be part of that at all.

the fifth estate: No more fingers.

Lucy Laporta: No more fingers. And my friends too, no more fingers. Not at all.

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