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His son claimed that two of his father’s hearing aids were knocked out during the incident, his prescription glasses were smashed and he had to climb into the car after the attack.
Police said they were investigating a “suspected assault”.
“He was in a terrible state,” the man’s son said. “He was obviously bruised and battered.”
“He was almost knocked out, almost passed out.”
The businessman is a director and shareholder of several companies and is about 30 years younger than the retiree. The vehicle he was driving was registered under the name of a relative and was worth about $430,000 when it was new.
Photos of the 73-year-old’s injuries showed numerous scratches and bruises. Doctors reported that his symptoms included “concussion: forgetfulness, difficulty finding words (and) forgetfulness of events”.
The pensioner was told to rest “cognitively and physically” during his recovery, limit screen time and not drive a vehicle for six weeks, and may need treatment at a concussion clinic.
The report states he also suffered “severe pain” from a possible partial tear of his hamstring and “extensive hematoma,” as well as a shoulder injury that required six weeks of treatment and a referral to a physiotherapy center.
However, the businessman told The Herald The blame lies with the pensioner because the Kia Sportage he was driving tried to “run me off the road”.
this The Herald The businessman spoke to reporters via intercom when he visited his $2 million-plus Ponsonby home last week.
He declined to comment on the incident in detail but said if anyone was a victim, it was him.
He claimed: “I was attacked by this gentleman.”
Asked if he was injured, the businessman replied: “I’m handing this over to the police now. However, it is possible that I was injured.”
He declined to comment further, telling The Herald The way he asked the questions was “quite rude” and “bordering on harassment.”
“I did give him the finger.”
In a written statement to police The Herald The pensioner said he was driving home north on SH1 between Oteha Valley Rd and Silverdale when he spotted a luxury sports car “right behind me” in the right lane, trying to overtake.
The man said that he was about to move to the left lane to let the sports car pass, but he found that the sports car had cut to his left side and the driver of the sports car was waving and gesturing.
“I was like, ‘What a clown,’ and I literally gave him the finger,” the man wrote.
Next, the sports car allegedly stopped in front of the elderly man’s Kia and slowed down to around 60 km/h, the man wrote.
He felt a “bump” as the two vehicles collided before leaving the Millwater Freeway, but realised the sports car was following him.
The man said he decided to pull over before reaching his home because he “didn’t want to get into a fight outside his house.”
He got out of his car, walked towards the sports car and said, “You’re wrong,” at which point the driver allegedly “ran towards me” and “started punching me in the head with left and right fists.”
The sports car driver pulled the older man’s sweatshirt over his head and threw him to the ground “and continued to punch me in the head and body,” the statement said.
The man was “stunned and disoriented” and he stood up, pulled his sweatshirt over his head and “staggered around.”
He recalled the sports car driver saying: “You broke my glasses” before he attacked again.
“He threw me to the ground again … and hit me, and I think he kicked me or stepped on me.
“When it stopped I was completely disoriented and when I tried to stand up my left leg wouldn’t hold me up and I was staggering and almost passed out.”
“My dad is 73 and this guy is a lot younger than me.”
A police spokesperson said officers were investigating an alleged assault that occurred in Silverdale around 3:30 p.m. on August 11.
Police received a report of a minor collision between two vehicles, which caused both drivers to stop and exit their vehicles.
“An altercation ensued between the occupants of the two vehicles. Both men then immediately left the scene, but one of them was later taken to a medical centre with moderate injuries.
“Police have identified and spoken with both parties involved in this incident and are in the process of determining the next steps.”
The son said that while his father should not have gotten out of the car, the incident also should not have turned violent.
He said the pensioner was still “traumatized” mentally and physically.
“My dad is 73, and this guy is a lot younger than me.”
After the altercation, the businessman is believed to have contacted police, saying he had been attacked.
The son said police then went to his father’s home and, after seeing his injuries, asked him to make a formal statement, including taking photos of the bruises and abrasions on his body. Police also tried to obtain CCTV footage.
The son said another driver also witnessed the incident and independently contacted police.
He was devastated when his father was injured in a trivial car accident.
“It’s a terrible thing to have this happen in your own family. I don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”
Lane Nichols is deputy head of news and a senior journalist at the New Zealand Herald with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry.
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