Trucker arrested after alleged assault of woman in apparent road rage incident on Ils-aux-Tourtes Bridge

Provincial police have arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of assaulting a woman during heavy traffic on the Ile-aux-Tourtes Bridge this week.

A video obtained by CTV News shows the woman, Stephanie Ross, lying on the ground after allegedly being punched and knocked unconscious by the man.

The footage also depicts the suspect and two construction workers attempting to reason with him.

The incident reportedly followed a fender bender on the bridge. Ross has been trying to piece together what happened after being released from the hospital.

"I remember seeing in my mirror some guy coming out of his truck, coming, running towards my truck. And I was thinking, okay, he's coming to see me because something happened in the back of me," Ross said while recuperating at home with a concussion and other related injuries.

However, she says she never had time to discuss what happened with her aggressor.

"At that point, he was starting to get very, very firmly aggressive. He was already calling me names, really bad names," she recounted.

"I told him four times to get away from me. And the only thing I remember is getting hit and hit so hard. I just lost everything. Like it went black. It went numb. I couldn't hear anything. My ears just started ringing"

When she regained consciousness, Ross recalls her attacker continuing to berate her.

"You're doing all of this for the show. You're useless..."

One of the construction workers who intervened confirmed Ross' account, telling  CTV News, "He was very aggressive, I stood in front of him, to at least calm him down." 

"My co-worker had to step in too because the man was too aggressive."

Eventually, someone came to Ross' aid.

"And I do remember a lady that came running towards me. She said, 'I can't do much. Well, what can I do to help you?' And that's when I asked her to please call my husband and tell him what's going on and try to see if somebody is calling 911."

Her husband, Stéphane Saucier, is also a trucker.  He was nearby and rushed to the scene.  He said he was stunned by people's reactions.

"I was revolted that given the number of people there, people seemed more concerned by the traffic delays." Saucier said.

According to provincial police, the suspect was released with a promise to appear in court at a later date to face charges.

CTV News contacted the trucking company that employs the suspect but has not received a response.