Tennessee Man Crashes into Convenience Store Trying to Kill Girlfriend
In a classic instance of road rage, a Columbia man ran his pickup truck into the Columbia market, allegedly trying to kill his girlfriend and nearly killing the owner of the store.
The December 2011 incident began when Erik Whitaker, 40, chased his girlfriend, Laquisha Dansby, 37, with his pickup. Dansby, who was reportedly running, quite literally, for her life, dashed into the convenience store closely pursued by Whitaker. He crashed through the glass windows behind her, crushing the storeowner, Surendra Patel, into rows of overturned shelves.
Miraculously, Patel suffered minor injuries including cuts to his face and chest. Whitaker exited his truck and jumped into the SUV of a witness, trying to stage a get away. But his flight ended when he crashed into a bread truck with the “borrowed” vehicle.
Whitaker was taken to the hospital and has been charged with attempted murder, theft, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment. He is in jail with bail set at $2 million.
Dansby, Whitaker’s intended victim, escaped injury by ducking between two rows of shelves and shop owner Patel’s family says he is recovering from his injuries. The entire event was caught on store security cameras and aired on ABC News.
The Memphis personal injury experts at Bailey & Greer hope that all involved will be able to put the incident behind them and that justice will be served.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
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