Cops: Construction worker hit while trying to stop driver who was late for hair appointment

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — A 76-year-old man accelerated his car into a construction worker who tried to keep him from driving through a barricaded area because he did not want to be late for his hair appointment, according to Marion County investigators.

Deputies said William Faulkner pulled into a construction area on N. HWY-19 when the construction worker, William Crawford, 59, ordered him to stop.

According to a report, Faulkner refused more than once to stop, and when Crawford tried to remove a cone that Faulkner had run over, Faulkner accelerated, hitting Crawford’s knees.

The report stated that Crawford moved out of the way and Faulkner drove into the site and pulled into a parking spot.  Faulkner then left the area.

A deputy was called to the scene and scanned the car’s plate number, confirming that it was Faulkner’s car, authorities said.

The deputy said he found Faulkner inside a barber shop. The deputy said when he walked into the shop Faulkner stated, "I did it."

The report stated that Faulkner told the deputy that he wanted to make a haircut appointment and did not want to turn around or back up and go around to the other entrance to the parking lot.

Faulkner was arrested on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and taken to the Marion County Jail with his oxygen machine. He had breathing problems, and he was checked by medical staff and cleared at the jail, since he refused hospital treatment, deputies said.

WFTV