So, I'm sitting at the light at Huntington Avenue and Ft. Hunt Road. I'm going south on Ft. Hunt Road, Belle Haven C.C. is on my left. I'm in the left lane and I'm the 3rd car in line at the red light and there's another 15 cars behind me. While waiting for the light to change, I see a Land Rover Discovery pull out from the line behind me and race up the right lane and then stop at the red light as the first car in the right hand lane.
For those unfamiliar with this road, 500 feet after you pass through the light Ft. Hunt Road going south (just after Woodmont Road) narrows from two lanes to one lane. The right lane is eliminated so, those in the right lane must merge into the left lane.
So, the light turns green and traffic starts moving. The Discovery doesn't get going very well and falls back so that he is overlapping the second car and me. At no time did he ever signal. As the road begins to narrow the Discovery veers left and sideswipes the ever living shit out of me, missing the car in front of me.
After we got everything whoa-ed up and pulled over to the shoulder, we determined there was no one hurt and then the driver of the Discovery starts yelling at me saying he had the right of way because he had overlap on me and I was supposed to let him in. I fired back by asking him if it occurred to him when he was passing all the cars before the light why nobody was in the right lane. And oh by the way...the car IN the lane has the right-of-way so, if you're merging in you have to yield to the car that's already there.
When FCPD arrived they appeared to agree with me after talking with 3 witnesses and encouraging them to come to court as the driver of the Discovery was cited for making an improper lane change. From my point of view, this appears like an open and shut case and the accused will be found guilty. How dependent is my case on the witnesses appearing? If they don't show, is it my word versus his? He admitted to the officer that he was in the right lane trying to merge into the left lane...
For those unfamiliar with this road, 500 feet after you pass through the light Ft. Hunt Road going south (just after Woodmont Road) narrows from two lanes to one lane. The right lane is eliminated so, those in the right lane must merge into the left lane.
So, the light turns green and traffic starts moving. The Discovery doesn't get going very well and falls back so that he is overlapping the second car and me. At no time did he ever signal. As the road begins to narrow the Discovery veers left and sideswipes the ever living shit out of me, missing the car in front of me.
After we got everything whoa-ed up and pulled over to the shoulder, we determined there was no one hurt and then the driver of the Discovery starts yelling at me saying he had the right of way because he had overlap on me and I was supposed to let him in. I fired back by asking him if it occurred to him when he was passing all the cars before the light why nobody was in the right lane. And oh by the way...the car IN the lane has the right-of-way so, if you're merging in you have to yield to the car that's already there.
When FCPD arrived they appeared to agree with me after talking with 3 witnesses and encouraging them to come to court as the driver of the Discovery was cited for making an improper lane change. From my point of view, this appears like an open and shut case and the accused will be found guilty. How dependent is my case on the witnesses appearing? If they don't show, is it my word versus his? He admitted to the officer that he was in the right lane trying to merge into the left lane...