COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A driver who gave a tailgater the middle finger sparked a road rage incident that led to a crash, causing a power outage and a hazardous fluid leak early Friday morning.
According to Colorado Springs Police officers, 53-year-old Michael Lamle told them another man was tailgating him on Academy Boulevard around 5 a.m. He gave the driver an "obscene hand gesture," which angered the tailgater, causing him to follow Lamle aggressively.
Lamle decide to outrun him, so he sped up, turning onto northbound Union Boulevard, then onto Deliverance Drive. He lost control of his car in the 2600 block of Deliverance, going over curbs and across lawns before driving through a retaining wall.
He eventually hit a utilities junction box, knocking out power to residents in the area for much of the early morning. The junction box began leaking fluids that are considered hazardous to water drainage and flood control areas.
HAZMAT crews and Colorado Springs Utilities officials worked to minimize the hazard.
Lamle was cited for careless driving, but officers did not find the tailgater.
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