“He was the stereotypical young, wild and crazy guy,” Dolan says. To eliminate the risk the decals presented to his client’s new appearance Dolan took the unique step of filing a motion with the court, asking that the photograph be digitized so the decals could be erased electronically.
Martin had decals on his bike that said “Fuck 55” (which refers to the highway speed limit), “Will Beg For Sex” and, right above the brake light, “Bye”. He also convinced Martin to get a haircut, shave his beard and take out his five hoop earrings.īut an even bigger challenge arose when the defense wanted to present a blown-up photograph of Martin’s bike as evidence. “I looked at it as a major restoration project.”ĭolan quickly took his client under his wing, helping him buy a suit and shirt that would cover the snake tattoo on his shoulder. “There are a certain class of bikers that need a certain kind of polishing,” Dolan says. His client was a tattooed biker, a hard sell to any jury - and addressing his appearance was a challenge. After four operations, he has limited use of his fingers, and his upper arm is held together by a steel plate and 10 pins.ĭolan argued that his client hit the car because Caltrans didn’t trim shrubbery, which he claimed had obscured the intersection from view, and had neglected to replace a sign alerting traffic to the intersection.īut the victory was no easy feat, he says. As a result of the October 1994 accident, Martin suffered a severed radial nerve in his right arm and injured his back, neck and shoulder, Dolan says. The case began when Dolan’s client, Martin riding his motorcycle in the Northern California countryside on Highway 1 near Bolinas, hit an Acura sedan pulling out of an unmarked intersection. What set’s this practice area apart, these lawyers say, are the severity of motorcycle related injuries and the prejudices against the biker clients.ĭolan had to deal with both of these issues when he sued Caltrans. On one side are plaintiffs’ lawyers who specialize in representing motorcyclists in personal injury and product liability work and, on the other, defense lawyer who work to defend motorcycle manufacturers and public entities in similar case. That Dolan feels his hog-riding experience adds value to his lawyering is an indication of how specialized motorcycle related law can be. When the dust settled, the jury had awarded his client $2.5 million. Martin knew of Dolan through the Bay Area biking community. He chose to sue California’s Department of Transportation on behalf of an injured fellow biker, Robert Martin. In his first jury trial, Dolan took on a formidable opponent. “I understand through experience the dynamics of a motorcycle accident or a product defect.” “It makes me different than another personal injury lawyer,” says Dolan, who owns two BMW bikes and a Honda.
November 1, 1999San Francisco lawyer Christopher Dolan thinks he is a better advocate for his clients because he is a biker. Christopher Dolan says he does a better job representing bikers because he rides a two-wheeler himself.By Jennifer Byrd
0 kommentar(er)
