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AMERICAN FORK — A woman who was allegedly attacked Wednesday in a road rage incident said Friday she believes she is lucky to be alive.
Chelsie Haskell, 25, said she was stopped at a stop sign on 400 West in American Fork as Bill Kelsch, 39, approached the intersection. Haskell said Kelsch had to slow down for a dip in the road, so she decided to cross the street.
"I wouldn't have crossed if I had thought he would have had to brake," Haskell said. "I felt I had enough time."
Haskell said the man tailgated her, honking, for a couple of blocks, so she flipped him off.
"At that point he backed off, but then I heard an engine revving and I saw him coming up beside me in my sideview mirror," Haskell said. "I thought he was going to pass me, so I slowed down."
I was scared. I did not have a good feeling about this.
–Chelsie Haskell
Instead, Kelsch swerved into the driver's side of Haskell's car. He admitted to police he "lost it" and swerved purposefully.
"His tire went up onto my car and almost hit my face because my window was down," Haskell said. "And then his car flipped."
Haskell said she tried to roll up her window, but it would not move. She said she could hear the female passenger of Kelsch's car calling for help, so she got out, feeling safer because there were people in the street.
"I was scared," she said. "I did not have a good feeling about this. His face was full of rage, and he was yelling at me. I told him to get out of my face and turned around to leave, and he punched me in the back a couple times."
Haskell said she ran down the street and Kelsch chased after her. Two men who witnessed the accident chased after Kelsch and stopped him until police arrived.
Witnesses later told police Kelsch had been "acting disorderly." Kelsch was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of simple assault, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and aggressive driving.
"I shouldn't have flipped him off; I was wrong. But I didn't deserve this," Haskell said of the incident. "I'm just glad my 2-year-old daughter wasn't in the car with me. It was just uncalled for."
