Doctor ‘tried to run over’ smoker

Doctors are supposed to motivate smokers to give up their habit. But one physician took his anger at a smoker one step too far – by allegedly attempting to run him over with his car.

Dr Jeffrey Thompson from Dallas saw the complainant smoking near his Mercedes. He grabbed the man’s cigarette, threw it to the ground and told him: “you can’t smoke here.”

The complainant threw a can of soft drink at Dr Thompson which splashed liquid onto his trouser leg. Dr Thompson then got into his vehicle and drove it directly towards the complainant, who scraped his elbow diving behind a nearby concrete pillar.

Witnesses say they saw the doctor speeding off erratically. He has since been arrested and bailed, and told newspapers he had nothing more to say on the matter without his lawyer present.

Promoting smoking cessation is a top priority for doctors in the US, who want to tackle the fact that 20% of the population smoke. But as far as we know, Dr Thompson is the first to attempt this extreme method.

Many would sooner prescribe the smoking cessation drug Champix, which affects the way the brain reacts to nicotine. There are also nicotine replacement gums available that have proven effective.

Other smokers have found that counselling, or even hypnotherapy in some cases, have helped to make it easier for people to give up smoking.

Speak to a trained medical health practitioner if you would like more advice about giving up smoking.