‘Dead set, she was trying to kill me’: Victims and perpetrators of road rage say why they saw red

THE man and woman involved in one of Australia’s most notorious road rage incidents have explained what actually happened.

A MAN who was filmed punching a female motorist in the face has said he was “scared s**tless” and was in fear for his life at the time he saw red.

Clint Pollard, who hasn’t spoken publicly before, pleaded guilty to assault and was fined $900 for the road rage incident that occurred last year.

The person he assaulted, Bianca Sams, was herself convicted and is serving 140 hours community service due to the violent fracas between the two motorists.

Sams has said she wants an apology.

Pollard is having none of it: “I’m ashamed of myself, but I shouldn’t need to say sorry”.

The angry exchange between the pair, which involved not just punches but chisels and strips of nails being used as weapons saw Pollard almost run over.

The incident was one of several featured on Channel 7’s Sunday Night which examined the victims and perpetrators of road rage.

Bianca Sams’ head flies back after Clint Pollard punches her in the face in a notorious road rage incident.

Chances Moana, 20, told the program he knows he did wrong when he punched Andrew Nerlich 15 times when the 63-year-old retiree rear-ended the tradie in May.

He was supposed to appear in court last month over the incident but never turned up because, due to a bizarre twist of fate, he was involved in a motorcycle accident that has left him, for the moment at least, in a wheelchair. In his absence, he was found guilty.

“I’m a strong believer in karma. And he got it,” said truckie Steven Bloor who witnessed the violent attack.

On May 11, Mr Nerlich and Moana’s vehicles made contact with one another as they changed lanes on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Speaking to reporter Matthew Doran, Moana said he “retaliated” for the collision between his Ute and Mr Nerlich’s Hyundai hatchback.

“I just opened up his door and … punched him a couple of times.

It wasn’t a couple of times, it was almost quadruple that number.

Mr Nerlich said he sensed the episode wasn’t going to end well.

“Just the way that he was walking (towards me) indicated that he was ready for battle. (I thought) I’m in trouble here.”

Andrew Nerlich was punched 15 times by Chances Moana in a road rage incident. Picture: Channel 7.

“It certainly hurt. I was concerned for my safety and my life. It was just like, you know, (he was thinking) ‘I’m going to punish this guy for running into me.’’’

Mr Bloor filmed the incident from the cab of his truck directly behind the pair.

“He had one thing on his mind, and that was blood. And he just wanted more blood.”

An altogether more complex road rage incident took place in July last year on the NSW Central Coast. Opinion is still divided as to who, or whether both people, were at fault.

Newcastle woman Bianca Sams, 22, was with her girlfriend and baby in a car travelling along the Pacific Highway at Lake Munmorah.

Pollard, 41, was driving in front of them when the speed limit reduced.

“I looked in my mirror, and there’s people waving their arms around, tooting their horn, flashing their lights, going off their heads, and I think, ‘these guys must be in a rush’.

“The next thing I know, this car’s come screaming around the outside of me. And that’s basically how it started.”

Bianca Sams throws a nail at the vehicle of Clint Pollard driving behind.

He said Sams leaned out of the car window and began hurling strips of nails towards his car. She said it was to shoo Pollard away.

“It was the heat of the moment, really,” Sams told Doran. “I thought, I just wanna get him away from us; we’ve got a baby in the car.”

Things soon came to blows, literally. At the next set of lights, Pollard confronted Sams.

“I just thought he was gonna yell at me. I didn’t expect to get punched.”

Pollard told Sunday Night he saw Sams holding a chisel and, fearful of attack, hit back first. Sams vehemently denied she was holding the tool and it can’t be seen in dashcam footage of the blow up.

Clint Pollard says he’s “ashamed” for throwing a punch at Sams, but he thought he was going to be attacked. Picture: Channel 7.

“I had no intention of throwing a punch. And then it just changed in a split second,” he said.

“I had no choice but to act in self-defence. It’s between my welfare, my safety or the psychotic person that’s trying to harm me.”

As Pollard returned to his car, the vehicle Sams was in went into reverse and drove towards Pollard.

“She was trying to run me over. Dead set trying to kill me,” he said.

Both cars continued driving but the road rage continued when Sams threw a chisel at Pollard’s car which went straight through the windscreen.

“Bang. Glass goes everywhere. Shatters pretty much in my face. I was terrified. I was absolutely scared s***less.”

Bianca Sams told Sunday Night’s Matthew Doran she was an “idiot” but Pollard should not have punched her. Picture: Channel 7.

Bianca Sams leaving Wyong Court in September 2017 in relation to the road rage incident. Picture: AAP Image/Sue Graham.

Sams doesn’t deny she threw the chisel. In fact she boasted about it on Facebook.

Mr Doran asked Pollard if he had any regrets about the punch he threw.

“There are many people across Australia, Clint, who think king-hitting a young woman, makes you a most magnificent coward.”

A tearful Pollard said he didn’t blame people for that view.

“But I didn’t just king-hit a girl. I acted in self-defence. I thought, ‘Jesus, these girls will not stop … until I’m seriously maimed, injured or dead.’”

But his actions, he said, had “torn me up”.

“The fact that I actually raised my hand to hit a girl didn’t sit right with me. It cut me to pieces.”

Sams said she understands what she did was wrong: “I get that I’m an idiot for doing what I did and I shouldn’t have done it.

But she wants Pollard to say sorry.

“I really want an apology and I do want to apologise to him for doing what I did as well.”

But Pollard said he wasn’t in the wrong:

“I’m ashamed of myself, but I shouldn’t need to say sorry”.

Chances Moana is in a wheelchair after a serious road accident. Picture: Channel 7.

Moana didn’t turn up to his court appearance and was declared guilty in Manly Local Court on Sydney’s northern beaches in late June of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Two weeks before his court date, he had an accident on his motorbike which led to broken knees, a smashed pelvis, punctured lung, ruptured spleen, ruptured bowel and bladder.

Sunday Night organised a meeting between Mr Nerlich and the wheelchair-bound Moana.

“I’m sorry, Andrew, and I regret what I did on the day. I had a bad day,” Moana said.

“I don’t think you had a very good day either,” said Mr Nerlich.

“If there’s karma or retribution or something, it’s gone way past that. I really hope you can get past this and do something really good and amazing with your life.”