Young northern beaches road rage attacker forgiven by his 63-year-old victim
A 63-year-old driver punched more than 15 times during a northern beaches road rage attack has had a face-to-face meeting with his attacker since the incident.
Manly
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THE 63-year-old driver punched more than 15 times during a northern beaches road rage attack has forgiven his young attacker.
Chances Moana, 20, bashed Andrew Nerlich after a minor traffic accident on Forest Way at Frenchs Forest on May 11.
Mr Nerlich, a retiree and a martial arts instructor at a Manly gym, forgave his attacker when they met recently even though he suffered serious injuries to his nose, ear and lips in the sustained assault.
Moana told his victim he was sorry for “what I did”.
He and Mr Nerlich, who described Moana as acting like an “enraged animal” during the assault, talked outside Gosford Hospital while taking part in a segment about road rage on Channel 7’s Sunday Night program.
Moana is receiving treatment for broken knees, a smashed pelvis, punctured lung, ruptured spleen, ruptured bowel and bladder after falling from his motorbike in a separate accident in Gosford two weeks before he was supposed to appear in Manly Local Court.
Even though he did not appear in court, Moana was found guilty of two counts of assault last month.
The Manly Daily broke the story of the attack after dashcam vision emerged on social media.
Shocking footage, taken at the intersection of Forest Way and Adams St, showed Moana unleashing multiple blows on Mr Nerlich sitting in a Hyundai hatchback stopped at traffic lights.
The dashcam vision, captured from a B-double truck, showed Moana, after getting out of his Mazda ute, opening the door of the Hyundai stopped behind him and throwing a punch at the driver.
Just before the attack the two cars were involved in a minor collision when one of the cars attempted to merge.
According to the police Fact Sheet tendered to the court, Mr Nerlich, from Pennant Hills, “blacked out” from the initial blow. His left foot then slipped off the brake pedal and the car rolled forward into the ute and slowly push it to the middle of the intersection.
Moana, a tree lopper dressed in a high-vis jacket, then opened the victim’s door again before throwing multiple punches.
The Fact Sheet said he struck the victim 15 times.
Moana, from Berkeley Vale, admitted to the assaults during an interview with officers when he turned himself in at Wyong Police Station on May 12.
Mr Nerlich was left bleeding from an ear, his nose and a badly cut lip. Police found blood spattered on the inside of the Hyundai.
Moana told the program that he “opened up his door and punched him a couple of times”.
“I’m sorry, Andrew, and I regret what I did on the day,” Moana told Mr Nerlich. “It wasn’t necessary of (sic) me doing what I did.”
Mr Nerlich replied: “I had a bad day. I don’t think you had a very good day either.
“I really hope you can get past this and do something really good and amazing with your life.
“I forgive you and I really wish you all the best for the future.”
The pair then shook hands.
Moana will be sentenced in Manly Local Court on Wednesday.