If you’ve been the victim of a motorcycle accident and are thinking about bringing a lawsuit, knowing what to do and who to hire is an important task. However, knowing what to avoid is equally important and can save you a lot of hassle. Here are some of the most common things to avoid:

Lawyers. Well, the wrong kind of lawyers. Any lawyer can handle a motorcycle accident case. However, many simply treat it like a car accident, and as any rider knows – the two are very different. Claude Wyle, a California attorney and member of the Advocate Law Group network who has been practicing motorcycle law, and riding, for 25 years , explained:

Most automobile accident attorneys don’t understand the difference between a motorcycle accident and a car accident. The dynamics of a motorcycle accident are very, very different. A motorcycle does not slide like a car does. It doesn’t leave the same kind of tire friction marks. When it leaves a skid mark, it often doesn’t tell the same story that a car skid mark will leave and unless the lawyer is really well versed in motorcycle dynamics and motorcycle accidents, they can make some very serious mistakes and give up a lot of money for their client because they don’t know what story the evidence tells. I’d say the biggest mistake they make is not referring the case to a motorcycle lawyer.

Prejudice. Most bikers would agree that there’s a tremendous prejudice against bikers out there. Bikers are looked at as risk takers and, according to Wyle, that prejudice often transfers into the courtroom:

Bikers are looked at as kind of crazy, overly aggressive outlaws. What attracts us to motorcycling also repels the rest of the population. I think that motorcyclists are liked more and more as time goes on, though. Most people have somebody in their family now who enjoys motorcycling. However, there’s definitely a prejudice in terms of what kind of person most jurors think is riding a motorcycle.

As a biker himself, Wyle pointed out that there are ways to overcome some of the prejudices. He continued, “One of the best ways for motorcyclists to avoid or combat that is to wear all the safety gear you’re supposed to wear. It’s pretty hard to win a case for a person who wasn’t wearing the right safety gear and doing the right thing. If you’re wearing a helmet that’s not approved or wearing a t-shirt or a pair of shorts and you get all cut up, it’s a difficult sell – even if it was the other guy’s fault. Also, if you are wearing all the right gear, it shows that you’re more of a safety conscious rider and that’s important. I think that’s the image we want to portray to combat that whole outlaw, speeding type of image.”

If you or a loved one has been injured in a motorcycle or bicycle accident, contact an attorney whose practice focuses in this area of law. Click here, for a free consultation with a motorcycle accident attorney.