Road rage victim reflects on day that changed his life forever

Greg Centofanti, 29, has been forced to move back to his home town of Griffith because of panic attacks he suffers in heavy traffic, triggered by the incident.

In October 2013, Mr Centofanti was driving in a 70kmh zone near his Sunshine Coast home when he attempted to merge into a left turning lane.

He claims another vehicle, travelling at about 140kmh, hurtled up his inside and was forced to brake heavily to avoid colliding with Mr Centofanti’s car.

What followed was a volcanic road rage attack that has changed Mr Centofanti’s life.

“He was so angry, he blocked my car in and started swearing at me and making throat-slitting signals,” he said.

“He kept saying he was going to kill me.”

The infuriated driver then began ramming Mr Centofanti’s car.

“He ripped one of my front wheels clean off,” Mr Centofanti said.

“I was stuck in the middle of three lanes of traffic with nowhere to go.”

In a terrifying move, the driver then reversed his car over a traffic island to enable him to ram Mr Centofanti’s car again.

As he began charging towards the helpless Mr Centofanti, another car drove between the pair and was instead struck.

The road rager then struck a third car, which had an eight-day old baby on board, before fleeing.

“His was the only car left that could still drive,” Mr Centofanti said.

The attacker was arrested by police the following day.

“I thought I would be alright after he was caught but it changed everything,” Mr Centofanti said.

The sight of a traffic light was enough to make his palms sweat.

“I start stressing out, freaking out,” he said.

“I’m scared of being on the road. I won’t drive in the city. I’ve moved back to a country town where I feel comfortable.”

He started seeing a psychiatrist to deal with the anxiety he was feeling after the incident.

“I never believed in psychiatrists; I thought it was for cowards,” he said.

“But after this happened I changed.

“I now realise that if you’ve got an issue, you need to talk to someone about it or you won’t get over it.”

He said driving around Griffith was far more sedate than the city.

“People drive around like maniacs in the city,” he said.

“They beep their horns. What does that mean these days?

“Does it mean you accidentally cut me off or does it mean I’m going to kill you?”