Moral of this story: road rage isn’t worth it, even if the other party is doing something illegal.
No one likes a cocky rider on a crotch rocket. We’ve all seen the stereotypical motorcyclist who thinks the road is their playground while zipping between cars. As annoying as those people are, their awful behavior doesn’t warrant attempted murder.
William Sam Crum, 69, decided to take the law into his own hands when he saw a motorcyclist making an illegal pass along Tin Top Highway in Hood County near Granbury, Texas in 2015. As the motorcycle attempted to pass, Crum intentionally swerved his white Mercury sedan into the motorcycle sending both riders flying. Brian Fisher, a trailing motorcyclist with a GoPro camera mounted to his helmet, caught the entire attack on video.
Fisher approached Crum and demanded an explanation. The angry old man fumbled for an excuse involving the double yellow line before the disgusted witness walked off.
“You swerved and hit them!” Fisher said incredulously.
“I don’t care,” Crum replied.
“You will care,” Fisher said while walking away.
“No I won’t,” Crum declared.
He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily injury. Both charges are second-degree felonies. The wreck was labeled an attack, not an accident, that severely injured Edward Sanders, 37, and his girlfriend Debra Simpson, 38. Simpson spent the weekend in an intensive care unit after receiving surgery for a severe compound fracture to her arm. Sanders was cited for making an illegal pass in a no-pass zone and driving with an invalid license.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation title 7, subtitle c, section 545.055 “an operator may not drive on the left side of the roadway in a no-passing zone.” Despite common misconception, there is no exception for passing a slow moving vehicle over a double-yellow line. Drivers behind a slow moving vehicle must wait for the passing zone (solid line on the left, broken line on the right) before making a pass. According to Sander’s GoFundMe page, his ticket was dismissed because Crum was traveling below the minimum speed limit. His claims could not be confirmed with any court documents or news reports.
Crum attempted to blame Sanders for the accident. In a jail house interview with WFAA Crum claimed he lost control after a spider bit his groin and the accident wouldn’t have happened if Sanders hadn’t broken the law first. The jury wasn’t buying it.
This isn’t Crum’s first run in with the law. Hell, it’s not even his first road rage conviction. In 1989 Crum was arrested in Arlington and convicted for violently assaulting a family member. In 1994 he was arrested and convicted for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In 2007 Crum was arrested by Somervell County sheriff’s deputies and convicted of reckless driving and making a terroristic-threat. With his latest pair of felonies Crum has managed to be arrested and convicted at least once a decade, every decade, for the past four consecutive decades.
Crum was sentenced for his most recent conviction earlier this week. According to Hood County News, Crum requested probation to tend for his disabled wife. The jury rejected his plea. He will be 76-years-old before he’s eligible for parole after serving at least half of his sentence.
Do you think Crum cares now? His disabled wife sure as hell does.
Watch the video below.