One of the (many) reasons I drive a pickup truck is that the curb ceases to be an escape barrier. That was even more true when I drove a 4x4. I don't know if it would have helped the guy in the OP, but it's something to keep in mind.BTin wrote:There was no escape route for the trapped vehicle except reversing, which would have been nuts with oncoming traffic!
Rush hour traffic is a perfect time to practice "what if" mental exercises and quickly scout out possible escape routes. I do that often, and it has paid off several times such as when accidents or stalled cars happened in front of me. Thankfully, I haven't needed the skill in a threat situation.