A nurse from Andover says she was the victim of road rage on her way to work Thursday morning on Interstate 93 in Wilmington.
Susan Hawes spoke exclusively to NBC10 Boston and NECN, saying she was terrified when a concrete truck barreled into her.
"The state trooper said the guy had a road rage incident, he dumped concrete on the car, and then barreled right into me as he was trying to flee," Hawes said of Michael Boucher. "Who flees in a concrete truck?"
Just before Hawes was hit, the concrete truck driver allegedly dumped concrete on another car on purpose.
"That must be hard to clear off, I can't imagine," Mary Willard said.
Massachusetts State Police say Boucher is the man who allegedly dumped cement on a car during rush hour this week. He shouted out profanities and had to be removed from court on Friday after a judge ruled he would be held on bail.
The alleged case of road rage occurred during the morning commute on Thursday on Interstate 93 southbound in Wilmington. Boucher is accused of becoming disgruntled at a driver who was going too slow.
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Boucher allegedly dumped cement on the car and hit the driver, injuring the operator’s arm with his truck as he fled the scene. After a short drive, he hit Hawes' car and took off before being arrested by police shortly after the incident.
“I’m frightened that people like that are working for a living, driving, a big old truck and can do something like that," Willard said.
In court on Friday, Boucher stood quietly with his sunglasses on for most of his arraignment until the judge announced a bail of $15,000. Boucher then suddenly burst out to say he hadn't done anything, loudly swearing and trying to leave the courtroom until guards held him back.
"I didn't do anything!" Boucher said, while being restrained.
As he was led out of court, he screamed an obscenity at the judge.
Boucher's lawyer, Sean Delaney, argued in the man's defense that the cement accidentally slipped out of his truck when he braked. Delaney alleged that the other driver was actually the instigator in this road rage incident, cutting Boucher off and then banging on his window to the point where Boucher was afraid for his safety and took off.
The prosecution claimed that their commercial motor vehicle expert, who was on scene, said Boucher had complete control of the cement and it would never accidentally slip out. They also pointed to Boucher’s criminal record, saying he has a long record of all different types of offenses.
Delaney fought back against this point, citing Boucher's progress since his last stint of jail time in 2003. Delaney brought up 10 pages of glowing reviews from Boucher's probation officers, displaying his accolades showing he’s a rehabilitated man and a model citizen.
Delaney also said that taking away Boucher's ability to drive a cement truck, his primary income to provide for his wife and disabled son, would harm his whole family.
“It doesn’t make sense that he would risk being a model probationer and he's going to risk his livelihood and the financial support he gives his wife and handicapped son,” Delaney said.
According to court records, Boucher was on probation stemming from a prior conviction in Essex County at the time of Thursday’s incident.
He pleaded guilty in 2003 to three felony counts of breaking into homes in Danvers and Marblehead, and to a misdemeanor charge of assaulting a woman in Danvers.
According to a police report, the woman from the latter charge returned home to find an unfamiliar grey vehicle in her driveway. A man walked outside carrying her jewelry box, and told her “You’ve been robbed,” the report states. The man then punched her three times in the face, according to police.
The woman took down the license plate of the vehicle and gave a description to Danvers police. Officers then spotted the car while en route to the scene. The car crashed into a wall and the suspect fled, but was later located hiding in the bushes, according to the police report.
Boucher was sentenced to serve six to 10 years in jail, with another seven years on probation. Supervision for his case was transferred from Essex to Middlesex County in August of this year, and he was due to remain on probation until March 2020, according to court records.
Boucher is being held on $15,000 bail for several alleged charges, including assault and destruction of property and disorderly conduct. He is due back to court in December.
Hawes says she's fortunate she was wearing her seat belt when Boucher hit her vehicle on Thursday
"I lost feeling in two fingers in my hand," she said. "I have a lot of soft tissue damage."
Hawes says her injuries will now hamper her work.
