$23K in donations roll in for Somerset woman after being injured in ‘road rage’ incident

SOMERSET — More than $23,000 in GoFundMe donations has been raised as of Monday afternoon to help pay the medical bills for a Somerset woman who was body-slammed to the pavement in what she described as a road-rage incident.

After striking another car in what Attleboro police called “a minor motor vehicle crash,” police said Hailea Soares of Somerset was pulled from her car by the other vehicle’s driver, and after a brief argument she was picked up and thrown to the road. She suffered several broken bones and head injuries.

“Hailea is the sole provider for her 2 small children, but these injuries will keep her out of work for months,” reads a post on the GoFundMe page. “The financial strain of medical bills, therapy costs, and providing for her children is overwhelming. We are asking for your support to help Hailea focus on recovery without the added stress of financial hardship.”

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The road rage incident: What we know so far

On the morning of Jan. 3, Attleboro police and Soares said, she rear-ended a car driven by Gladior Kwesiah, 26, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, at the busy intersection of Routes 1 and 1A, where Newport and Highland avenues meet in Attleboro.

Video from the incident taken by Soares shows Kwesiah visiting the driver’s side window of Soares’ vehicle, and another clip shows footage of the minor damage to the cars, with Kwesiah standing by, using his cell phone.

Other cellphone video, captured by witnesses at the scene and obtained by Attleboro Police as evidence, shows Kwesiah grabbing Soares by her clothing, lifting her high in the air, and slamming her onto the road.

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“He lifted me above his head,” Soares said in an interview with Gannett news partner WCVB Boston.

“I said nothing violent to him,” Soares claimed, indicating her disbelief that what she said initially was a minor fender-bender left her with a broken knee and foot, a fractured eye socket and a gash on her forehead. She was treated at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking and devastating to see someone pick up your child and throw them like a rag doll — and he did it twice,” added Kimberly Soares, the victim’s mother.

What we know of the suspect

Attleboro police who responded said Kwesiah was standing over Soares’ bleeding, crying body when they arrived at the scene and arrested him.

Attleboro police charged Kwesiah with two felonies, including an assault and battery charge and malicious destruction of property, and a misdemeanor for driving without a license. He was arraigned in Attleboro District Court, where bail was set at $25,000.

Kwesiah would not respond to a request for comment.

Soares says she wishes the incident “never happened.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Donations for Somerset woman injured in ‘road rage’ incident top $23K

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