That really sucks.
Just a reminder that you really need to keep away from ANY moron in a car, if possible. From the story, it doesn't look like the rider was playing games, or did anything to set the guy off, but this jerk was looking for an excuse to play 'bad arse in a tin can'.
Whether or not the jerk did the damage intentionally, or was trying to do something stupid, (Like scare the rider) doesn't matter. He should go to prison, and never be allowed to drive again....IF they ever catch him.
I had a somewhat similar incident riding a bicycle 25 years ago.
A drunk INTENTIONALLY hit me. Destroyed my bike, threw me 100 some feet through the air, and luckily I was just bruised, battered, and road rashed.
There were 4 witnesses.
The drunk backed up to 'cuss me out' for riding 'in the middle of the road'. At that time, I got most of his license plate number, and a good description of the driver. I also could tell he was drunk.
The police were called, evidence picked up from the road,a report was taken,but they never did anything.
I was working for a different government agency at the time, and managed to track down the correct tag number, owner, and found the car with the damage on it.
I called the investigating cop, and met him near where the car was parked at the drunks workplace.
The cop had picked up pieces of the car grill and turn signal from the road....the damage to the car was obvious.
The cop questioned the drunk, who claimed he was home that night.
I thought things were falling into place.
A few days later I called the cop. He had misplaced the evidence, and also said he doubted I could positively identify the driver since my glasses had been destroyed in the crash. They weren't pursuing it.....
BTW, the drunk had several DUI's already, and was driving on a 'work' permit, which didn't allow him to be driving at night for 'social' reasons'.
I'm still pissed about it 24 years later.
Somewhere, I still have a picture of the car, with the 'v' dent in the bumper where he rearended me on my bike.
I hope the asshole drank his sorry ass to death, or ran into a lightpole and killed himself....instead of hitting somebody else.
Avoid these assholes in cars if at all possible. They will kill you.....and usually nobody gives a shite.......
Even though this wasn't the case in GA, don't respond to these road ragers. If they so much as look crosseyed at you....get yourself calmly to a more public place, preferably a police station.
Like any confrontation, keep calm, and alert, and you'll have the upper hand.
On a bike...any jerk in a Yugo running on 2 cylinders can kill you.