Frightening Attack by ‘Moto’ Night Riders on Panamericana Highway

The two malditos were shouting at me.  The shouts were clearly audible because my rear windshield was deteriorating further by the second and the sounds of the shouting came right into the car's interior. 

However, the men's yelps were unintelligible.  Why the yelling?  Did these asaltantes think I was going to pull my car over and allow them to show me their full intentions?  That did not seem to be a good plan.

So, what to do?

I was in fear yet my mind was clear and focused on escaping the situation.

I accelerated the speed of my car -- a 2016 Chevy Sail -- passing the slow truck and trying to leave the delincuentes behind.  I more than tripled my speed.

The strategy wasn't working.  The pandilleros passed the truck and for another five minutes they were again tailgating me in what had become a frightening high-speed chase through (for me) unknown territory.  The roadway was empty of other vehicles and now we were all speeding on a straightaway.

Could I slam on the brakes, causing the tailgaters to crash into my car and/or veer and skid off the highway?

That seemed too risky -- too many ways that could produce unwanted, serious consequences for anyone involved.

So I stuck with the plan just to keep speeding toward Popayán.

I couldn't sustain it past five minutes.

The combination of the wet roadway and my need to brake somewhat with a curve in the road approaching .. made me lose control of my car.  It started spinning out. 

The front of the car sped across the double yellow line and headed directly towards a steep hillside just a few feet beyond the edge of the highway.

There was nothing I could do.  I was sure the car was going to crash.

Then, something amazing happened ... and it completely changed the situation....

On this stretch of the Panamericana there is a shallow canal-type structure along the edges of the road, probably designed to channel rain water.  This was my salvation.

My Chevy's left-side wheels caught in the canal, straightening my path onto and along the canal .. and enabling the car to stabilize.

In a split second, I was able to regain control and get back in my lane toward Popayán.  I resumed a reasonable speed.

Meantime, the two cobardes sped away from the scene on their moto.  Obviously, they did not want to stick around and get implicated in a potentially life-threatening crash caused by their actions.

Minutes later my car entered the southern limits of the city.  Although I checked my rear-view mirror repeatedly, I did not see the moto with two bastardos again....

Arriving at my hotel in the center of Popayán at 1:45 a.m., I got out and checked for damage.

The rear windshield was almost completely gone now.  Shards of glass covered the back seat of the car.  There was a sizable dent in the lower part of the trunk.  The stones had not actually entered the car as far as I could tell.

There was absolutely no damage visible on the front of the car.  The Chevy had not even scratched the steep hillside at the moment when the canal saved the day.

I registered at the hotel and asked the security guard to look over the car and advise me.

He called the Policía Nacional, who sent four personnel to the hotel to take my report.  A police investigator photographed the damage to the rear of the car.

I felt extremely lucky about how things had turned out.  Seat-belted the whole time in the car, I had been uninjured with no physical discomfort besides feeling fear.

I drove my car into the hotel's secure underground parking lot.  I moved my luggage into my guest room and managed to get six hours of sleep.

cccmedia in Popayán

The aftermath.

In talking with the police and various hotel personnel and citizens, I found that -- according to them -- this type of incident is not common in the area.  In fact, everybody professed to having never heard of such a thing.

Of course, back in the day, it's widely reported that hitmen on motos hired by drug cartels attacked vehicles on Colombia roads, killing the drivers.

In my case, the weapon was stones not guns .. and the motive was unclear.  Robbery?  Kicks?  Loss of sanity?

----

I found out a few things the following day....

I found a shop in the Esmeralda sector of Popayán that can replace my rear windshield for under $120 US installed.  I put down a deposit and they are ordering the replacement from Cali, for installation after this weekend.

The glass shop anfitrión told me that SOAT insurance, which I had bought at the border entering Colombia, would not cover the glass damage, and is primarily for bodily injuries.

I booked some extra days at the hotel and arranged for the installation of the new windshield, hopefully on Monday.

Today I went swimming in the pool at the hotel .. and had a one-hour massage there too.

cccmedia in Popayán


Note: The glass shop did replace the windshield on Monday.  An earlier version of this post stated the installed price of the new windshield would be $80, based on a faulty COP-USD currency conversion.

So what are the lessons from the moto attack?

The obvious one:  don't drive late at night on roadways in southern Colombia.  Especially if traveling alone.

What lesson do you see?  Besides not traveling at night, what would you do the same or differently in such circumstances?

What other conclusion(s) about driving in Colombia can we draw from the incident?

Your input is welcome.

cccmedia in Popayán

I have to say I would have braked hoping for them to die in the crash.
Harsh, but stuff them.

You're clearly a better person than me.

Glad you're okay dude. I think they either wanted to rob you, or maybe it was some kind of road rage, which is even worse than robbery in some cases. Maybe because you were driving 12 mph behind the truck  it infuriated them and hey there's a lot of psychos in this world.

I don't know what the lesson is but maybe a big bottle of mace in the car is a good idea.