LA road rage trial begins.

After one cyclist slammed into the rear of his car and vaulted over it into oncoming traffic, and another crashed through his rear window, Dr. Christopher Thomas Thompson called 911 and told the operator, “They’ll tell you they are seriously injured, but they’re not.”

Prosecutors presented a recording of the call on Friday during the opening day of testimony in Thompson's trial on assault with a dangerous weapon and other charges. The trial continues Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. .

Prosecutors say Thompson, 60, a former ER doctor, purposefully braked in front of the two riders as they descended Mandeville Canyon Road on July 4, 2008.

Cyclist Christian Stoehr hit the back of Thompson's Infiniti sedan and went over the top into the other lane. His injuries included a grade-3 shoulder separation and road rash. Ron Peterson went through the rear window; the impact broke his nose, nearly severing it, and shattered several of his teeth. More than 90 stitches were required to reattach his nose.

In opening statements Friday, Thompson's defense attorney Peter Swarth said the collision was an unfortunate accident and not the result of any intentional action. He said Dr. Thompson had been saving lives for more than 30 years and would never deliberately hurt anyone. He told the jury there are two sides to every story and insisted that the facts of the case would exonerate his client, provided jurors kept open minds and didn’t decide the case prematurely.
Earlier incidents will be examined

District Attorney Mary Stone promised jurors that she would present evidence about the Fourth of July incident, including the tape of the 911 call, in which Thompson can be heard telling one of the cyclists to get his bike out of the road before downplaying the extent of their injuries. Stone told jurors she would also present evidence from two prior episodes on the same road, allegedly involving Thompson, the owner of a medical records company who lives on the road.
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