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Virginia man says road rage incident left him with a broken hip

John Magill says a driver pushed him to the ground after a brief back-and-forth on Route 50 in Falls Church.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. — A 73-year-old Virginia man is recovering from hip surgery after he says he was tackled to the ground by a driver following a road rage incident.

The incident happened Saturday, May 20 at 1:20 p.m. on Route 50 in Falls Church, Virginia.

John Magill says he was crossing Arlington Boulevard near East Tripps Run Road in his blue Toyota Solara when another driver in a white 1980s Cadillac cut him off. "He came up right next to me on the right-hand side and we are both trying to get across. This obviously irritated him. He slowed the car down, went behind me, and pulls up in front of me in a 45-degree angle and stops," Magill told WUSA9. 

Magill says the other driver in his mid-twenties got out of his car and started threatening him. "I got out of the car because I wanted to let him know that he worried me a little bit," he added. 

After a brief back-and-forth between the two men, the drivers started walking towards their respective cars. "As soon as I turn my back, boom," Magill says the other driver tackled him to the ground and fled the scene. 

"I went face down. Hit my chin, hit my knee. This is sprained, I've been putting a lot of stuff on it. It's a partial fracture, but the worst is the broken hip," he added.

Magill underwent hip surgery the day after the alleged attack. He says his doctors have told him he has a ten-week recovery ahead, but he feels fortunate that the violent incident did not turn deadly. 

In hindsight, the former driving instructor regrets stepping out of his car when he was being threatened. He says he has gone public with his story because he hopes someone who may have witnessed the incident may be able to provide details to Fairfax County Police Department. 

As for the other driver, Magill says he has one message for him, "Quit doing it. Calm down."

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