Why Motorcycle Accidents Need an Aggressive Legal Response
By Stephen Zwick | Published on July 28, 2011 | 0 Comments
Victims of a motorcycle accident are not always treated fairly in the eyes of the law, according to Mission Viejo attorney Stephen Zwick. He says juries tend to view motorcycle riders as aggressive risk-takers, creating a bias that can be hard to overcome. Victims of a California motorcycle accident should consider consulting a Mission Viejo motorcycle accident attorney for a consultation.
Zwick is a lawyer with Stephen Zwick Law Offices, and as an experienced motorcycle accident attorney in California, he says that the first thing one needs to be aware of is the preconceptions by jurors. “I think that one of the main things you’ve got to get past is that jurors don’t like motorcycle drivers because they’re not seen as being as careful as other drivers.”
Zwick says that even if a motorcycle driver was operating the vehicle in the most conservative way possible, there still is a societal stereotype that he, as a Mission Viejo motorcycle accident attorney, must penetrate. “This is unfortunate since many times motorcycle drivers are completely in the right on the road but another driver doesn’t even see them or doesn’t care.” Zwick gives an example of a case he worked on in which a client was driving his motorcycle when an SUV cut right in front of him. “So he has to either lay the bike down or go straight into him, neither of which is a good option.” As a result, the client suffered a severe injury from the accident.
This brings Zwick to another reason it’s important to have an aggressive attorney fighting for a motorcycle accident victim, which is that the injuries can often be more severe. “Most of the motorcycle cases I’ve had are horrendous,” Zwick says. Because of the lack of protection on a motorcycle, Zwick says that there can often be multiple body parts injured, and even brain damage. According to Zwick, the threat of brain damage means that an attorney must be familiar with dealing with that kind of injury, and must know the required experts to consult.
“When dealing with these things, you have to be familiar with neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, etc, so that you can get the client tested to see the extent of their brain damage.” By going with a standard physician, Zwick says there’s a risk of not being able to determine the severity of a brain injury, which could be long-term.
Because of both the difficulty in convincing a jury of the legitimacy of a motorcycle accident, and also due to the more severe nature of the damage inflicted during such an accident, contacting an experienced Mission Viejo motorcycle accident attorney is of the utmost importance in winning the damages owed to you.
*Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. You should not rely on this article as a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances, and you should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel. Publication of this article and your receipt of this article does not create an attorney-client relationship.