Lawyers, from mesothelioma lawyers to personal injury lawyers, to just plain and simple general practice lawyers, are there too many? Should there be regulation as to how many lawyers can practice at a time? Perhaps it is a good thing that there are so many different types of lawyers. Lets look at it from a motorcyclists point of view.
Let’s picture Biker Bob, riding his fancy West Coast Chopper, while on the way back from the orphanage where he just attended a benefit auction to help the children. He’s traveling down the main drag wearing full gear including a helmet, maintaining a speed below the speed limit because of heavy traffic and following every possible safety precaution available to him. All of a sudden, out of a side alley, a small woman driving a giant bright yellow Hummer H2 flies out right in front of him then stops. Bob tries to brake but his rear brake suddenly locks up because of some diesel oil on the road. Once the tire regains traction Bob is sideways and gets thrown violently off the bike and through the side window of the H2. His motorcycle is lodged under the vehicle, totaled. Fortunately, due to the small size of the woman driver and Bob’s gear, only his arm and pride is broken as he smashes through the glass.
Shortly thereafter, the police show up at the scene, they interview those who were involved and leave. A couple days later, when Bob gets his mail, he realizes that the police found him at fault for the accident, the H2 driver is suing him for emotional damages, as well as the vehicular damages, and even worse, his insurance is denying hospital coverage due to the nature of the accident. Biker Bob is in a predicament with no recourse, or does he?
In today’s society, though the stereotype is getting better, motorcyclists are considered irresponsible rebels who are always in the wrong. Fortunately, being a motorcyclist doesn’t automatically predetermine what type of employment you hold. In fact, motorcyclists hold every type of job. From minister, to loan officer, and even lawyer. Biker Bob’s story is not unique. It is heard every time bikers get together and talk about some guy they knew who crashed. The problem usually initially lies with the investigating officer who most likely did not have the proper training to investigate the accident so he never took into account the reduced available traction in determining speed. The insurance companies who look at statistics rather than reality, take the police report at face value. In the end, the victim is usually the innocent biker. Fortunately for the bikers, there are there are the biker lawyers. They know the laws, know the biker culture. They also usually has a team of trained bikers who are sometimes former police motor officers who properly investigate the scene. In the end, a responsible biker is the victor.
In Biker Bob’s case, he knew and hired a personal injury lawyer who was also a biker. The lawyer went ahead, reviewed the police report and re-investigated the scene. He found out that the investigating officer had recently gotten in trouble for harassing bikers, as well as that he had never investigated a motorcycle accident before. Witnesses were also located that described how actually slow and cautious biker bob was operating the bike as well as how the accident actually occurred. In the end, biker bob actually ended up with a hefty personal injury settlement as well as a new motorcycle from the H2 Driver.