Shocking footage has emerged of a man punching a woman in the face during a violent incident on a NSW road in Australia. Facebook / Dwayne Pillidge
By Andrew Koubaridis and Megan Palin
The woman who was punched in the face by a man during a violent road rage attack caught on dashcam has revealed she threw nails and a chisel out her car window before the assault.
Newcastle woman Bianca Lee Sams, 22, reportedly spoke topolice this morning after she posted several messages about the lead up to the incident on social media.
"I was throwing nails at his car ... then threw a chisel ... eye for an eye," Sams wrote on Facebook.
Bianca Lee Sams is believed to be the woman punched in the dash cam footage. Photo / Facebook
In one of the posts she claimed her actions were in response to a man who allegedly nearly ran her, the driver and a "five month old baby off the road".
"I threw them because I had to ... (it was) what I had to do to protect me and my friend," Sams told A Current Affair.
Sams' comments come after footage emerged of the man punching her in the face on a NSW road. Images have today been released of Sams with a cut upper and bottom lip, caused by the blow to her face.
Police have confirmed they are investigating the attack.
Truck driver Dwayne Pillidge said he saw a woman throwing projectiles from the car she was a passenger in.
"It was kind of like a 'Dukes of Hazard' scene, so she was sitting on the windowsill and it looked a little bit like maybe small pieces of wood," Pillidge wrote when he posted the video to Dash Cam Owners Australia.
"I don't care what your reason, it is not OK to hit a woman."
The attack captured on Pillidge's dash cam shows a man in a yellow T-shirt walking determinedly towards the vehicle stopped at an intersection in front of him.
Lake Munmorah Road Rage: Victim has admitted to throwing a chisel and nails before she was attacked by a man on the Pacific Highway. #7Newspic.twitter.com/GixFQWCf9d
Sams can be seen in the footage as she gets out the passenger side and stands next to the car with her arms folded as the man approaches. They appear to say something to each other. Within seconds, he punches her directly in the face.
Sams' head jerks violently back and she then grabs her face and climbs back into her car. The footage then shows the man walking back to his own vehicle, but as he is doing so, the front vehicle reverses backs and appears to swerve toward him.
She told friends on Facebook she passed the man "doing 50 in a 80 zone" and alleged he became aggressive.
Sams said she had a baby in the car when the assault occurred.
"Casually punched in the face by some roided up c*** drive like a f***ing idiot we overtake he gets out so I get out and he punched me in the mouth. Wanna I hope I never find you ... Still standing didn't even hurt mate." The post was accompanied with laughing emojis.
He punched her directly in the face.
After friends asked if she was OK, she told them she was "fine" but wanted to take him to the police.
"Hit me right in the jaw hahaha doesn't hurt one bit."
A NSW Police spokesman told news.com.au a woman had made contact with police.
"While police are yet to receive a formal complaint from the alleged victim in this matter, officers from Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command will be reviewing the footage to identify and locate any involved parties. Inquiries are continuing."
The woman jumps back in the vehicle after she is assaulted.
Tuggerah Lakes Chief Inspector Lott said the woman in the video contacted police and will make a statement regarding the incident later today.
He said the violence toward the woman was particularly shocking.
"The level of violence is totally unacceptable," Chief Insp Lott said.
The man walks away as the vehicle starts to reverse.
"At this stage there is much conjecture, some people making comments on social media are stating that there might be some aggravating circumstances leading up to the event, but we are unaware of that and we have had no one give us formal information to that effect," he said.
"Assaults of any sort are unacceptable. If anything happens on the road and that aggravates you, you do not take the matter into your hands, you certainly do not assault another person."
The video had attracted thousands of comments and been shared almost 1300 times on Facebook, as of early Tuesday morning.
One commenter posted: "Disgusting! One punch rule ... road rage ... assault ... etc
"Obviously not taught to keep your hands to yourself & use your words. Why people can't just argue & agree to disagree & walk away. People die from one hit like that, grow up!"
The man had to move to the side of the road after it swerved towards him.
Another posted: "Women want equal rights with everything, except when it becomes physical. There are certain times women can be hit, and there's plenty of evidence of women assaulting and pushing men to their limits, because they believe they can without repercussion, been (sic) women."
Added another: "No trust me there is not a get out of jail free card for women to think that they don't deserve to be hit. If you act like a dick hole, you deserve to be treated like a dick hole.
While one woman said: "What he did was wrong whether it was a male or female at the other end of the punch. Completely disgusted by the comments on this post."
Another described the man as a "gutless pig". "I seriously can't believe what most of the males are saying on this no man should ever lay a hand on a female it doesn't make you a man it makes you a coward and to the guy in the video you're a gutless pig," they wrote.
