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Sandra Yi ReportingAn impatient driver hit a flagger at a construction site this morning. It happened in Layton and police say he hit the flagger on purpose.
It happened at the intersection of Gentile and Dawson Streets in Layton. The area is under construction. The victim says the driver was frustrated. He was going only a couple miles an hour when he hit the flagger, but he's now facing some serious charges.
Samuel Allen is okay, but he has some bruises on his knee after being hit by the car's bumper. It happened around 11 o'clock this morning. Allen had stopped traffic to help some school kids cross the intersection. He says the driver pulled up to the stop sign and threatened to run him over, and he wasn't joking.
Samuel Allen, Flagger: "You could see the look in his eyes and on his face, that he was here for business. Over the last couple weeks he comes through two or three times a day, and the frustration from daily basis, you could just see it was building up to a breakdown. And I just happened to be the person that he released on."
The driver, John Thornley, took off. He lives in the neighborhood. Police were able to track him down. They booked him into the Davis County Jail for felony aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and leaving the scene.
This is the second time Allen has been hit on the job this week by frustrated, impatient drivers. He says it's just part of the job. He points out road rage is a problem at construction sites everywhere.
This intersection has been under construction since spring. Crews are making improvements to deal with growth in the area, so residents will have to deal with all the construction until November.
Police and flaggers remind everyone to be patient and take their time, after all, the flaggers are there for everyone's safety.
