AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man attacked in front of his own daughter in broad daylight is looking for help. He’s asking anyone who may have seen what happened to contact police and help find his attacker.

Juan Torres told KXAN this was a road rage incident that escalated within seconds.

“He was hammering me. He first got me in the mouth. All I remember is him just hammering the back of my head, 20-30 times,” he said.

Torres said his Monday afternoon began just like any other Monday. He picked up his daughter from Reagan High School. He made a right turn onto Highway 290’s frontage road out of the school.

He said that’s when he noticed a dark gray Dodge Durango driving pretty fast right behind him.

“I get over to the side. He grazes my side[view] mirror,” Torres said.

He decided to follow the driver and stopped at the intersection of Cameron Road and Camino La Costa.

Torres said the driver then bumped his car. When Torres got out to look at the damage, “I was helpless. I didn’t have a chance to defend myself.”

“First of all, he hit me here. In the mouth. Knocked my tooth out,” Torres explained. “And hit me here, and then my eye.”

He said he feared for his life. “I’m not a very small person, and I’m not afraid of many things, but I was scared that day,” Torres said.

Austin Police said road rage incidents can be difficult to solve because they happen so quickly.

“You need to call 911 to report it,” said Sgt. David Daniels. “You’re dealing with a vehicle, which is a deadly weapon.”

Sgt. Daniels advised getting as much information as possible – the license plate, make and model of the car, the driver’s race, gender, age, etc. – as long as you can remain safe.

“Once an officer gets to a scene, they’re going to want to know as much to solve a case, and if the victim does not have enough information for a detective to move on with the investigation, those types cases will end up being closed,” Sgt. Daniels explained.

For your safety, however, you should never get out of your car. Sgt. Daniels said, “Slow your speed down. Try to find a way of escaping. Meaning if you see an exit, exit off the highway. If you see a parking lot, a grocery store, pull into a parking lot where there’s a group of people.”

Torres said this is a lesson learned the hard way. He will have to replace a tooth that got knocked out and deal with other medical expenses. “Just stay in your car. Even if it’s a fender bender, a bumper whatever, minor traffic accident, just stay in your car,” he said.

AAA’s most recent report found nearly 80 percent of drivers express significant anger, aggression or road rage at least once a year.

They said if someone’s being aggressive toward you, you should take a deep breath and don’t retaliate, and if there’s any damage to your car, get to a safe place first.

“Safety should always come first,” Spokesperson Daniel Armbruster said. “If you’re in a situation where there’s road rage, wait until you’re in a safe area where you can get out, it’s lit, there are other people around, and that person, that danger is gone, then you can check the damage.”