Driver arrested after man loses foot in road rage incident in Tacoma

A 54-year-old Bainbridge Island man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a road rage incident Saturday in Tacoma in which a man’s foot was partially severed, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Jeffrey Paul Giblin was arraigned Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court on charges of first-degree assault and failure to report a vehicle accident. His bail was set at $80,000.

The victim was hurt about 5 p.m. Saturday on northbound Interstate 5 near the 38th Street exit after a prolonged dispute on the road, State Patrol Trooper Todd Bartolac said.

He was standing between the Tesla he had been riding in and Giblin’s BMW 740 sedan when the other man put his car in reverse and the victim tried to jump up between the cars, Bartolac said.

The man was unable to clear the cars and was trapped between them when the BMW hit the Tesla, the trooper said. He had to use his brother’s belt as a tourniquet, court documents state.

“There’s no give in the car because of its batteries,” Bartolac said of the electric-powered Tesla. “When it impacted, it partially severed his foot.”

The incident began on westbound state Route 512 at Canyon Road and escalated when the drivers exchanged rude gestures, Bartolac said. When the cars reached the 38th Street exit on I-5, Giblin brakechecked the Tesla, forcing it off the road.

An argument ensued, which led to Giblin backing up his BMW toward the Tesla and crushing the victim’s foot, Bartolac said.

“It’s just a stupid road rage, absolutely-not-worth-the-next-20-years-of-your-life incident,” Bartolac said.

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Driver arrested after man loses foot in road rage incident in Tacoma."