Dashcams have brought us all sorts of crazy and bizarre videos, but they recently gave one Florida man the best gift of all – his freedom.
According to local ABC affiliate WFTV, 58-year-old Jeffrey Brookshire was killed earlier this month when he swerved into the westbound lanes of State Road 528 and crashed into an SUV. At the time, witnesses told Florida State Troopers that Brookshire was involved in a road rage incident and was hit by the driver he was arguing with. Witnesses said this collision caused Brookshire to lose control of his Mustang and hit the SUV.
Troopers began searching for the mysterious red car and were told by witnesses that it had an “Endless Summer” license plate and a “Hammock Hippy” sticker on the back. While initial reports suggested the model was a Dodge Charger, the owner turned out to be the driver of a Chevrolet Malibu.
The owner of the Malibu wasn’t identified, but his attorney – Victor Mead – gave investigators dashcam video of the incident. It showed the two drivers repeatedly passing one another before Brookshire apparently brake checked the driver of the Malibu.
While the video appears to confirm the two drivers were involved in a road rage incident, it contradicted witnesses who claimed the Malibu caused the accident. Instead, the footage appears to show Brookshire attempting to cut off the Malibu. However, he loses control and crosses the median before being hit by the SUV. After reviewing the video, troopers determined the Malibu driver wasn’t at fault and cleared him of involvement in the crash.
Besides the dashcam footage, the Malibu owner took pictures of his accident-free car as soon as he learned police were looking for him. This helped to contradict witnesses who said the model suffered front-end damage from the accident that never happened.
While it’s good news that the dashcam footage was able to clear the driver of the Malibu, a man still died over a petty traffic argument.