Road rage attacks put bicyclist in a wheelchair: 'One way or the other, I’m going to continue to ride'
Cyclist now in wheelchair speaks out after road rage attack
A man who was training for an upcoming Iron Man event in California was attacked and left wheelchair-bound when he gestured to a man who sped past him, almost hitting him while he was on his bike. The man stopped his car, got out, and attacked the bicyclist.
RAVENSDALE, Wash. - King County Deputies are looking for the man who attacked a bicyclist so badly that now the victim cannot walk.
The attack happened on July 24 around 2 p.m. on Cumberland Kanaskat Road Southeast in Ravensdale.
The victim, Mark Gringle, said he was riding his bike on the road, training for an upcoming Ironman event. He said someone driving a gray sedan zoomed past him, missing him but just a few inches.
Gringle said he flipped the driver off. The driver of the gray sedan then pulled his car over and waited for Gringle to ride by.
"Once I saw him stop. I couldn’t believe it. I'm like, ‘what’s going to happen next,’" Gingle recalled.
Gringle said as he rode his bike past the driver, he was attacked.
"Essentially assaulted me, pushed me over, got back in his car and left," said Gringle.
Gringle said he lost consciousness. He also had bleeding on the brain, his collarbone was broken, nine of his ribs were broken, his lung was punctured and he broke his pelvis.
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Gringle said he was in Harborview Medical Center for three weeks.
Just this week, he was released into a nursing facility.
Gringle is still in a wheelchair. He said he will not be able to walk for another couple months, and won’t be able to get on his bike for even longer.
"One way or the other, I’m going to continue to ride," he said.
Gringle said he is hopeful the man who attacked him will be caught, but he says there is one main reason he is sharing his story.
"Have some compassion. If you see a cyclist, pretend they're a loved one and treat them as such. Look at them as somebody that maybe, they have family and loved ones too. I just hope we could just share the road together and coexist a little bit," he said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact King County Sheriff at 206-296-3311.