This article is an opinion editorial and rant piece. If you do not want to hear me rant about what I will call idiots against bikers then do not read this article.
First off I will talk about a moronic woman named Melissa Arrington, age 27 who was sentenced to 10 and ½ years for negligent homicide and aggravated drunk driving, because the judge in her case found out that she was laughing about running over a bicyclist in her car, and dragging him 800 feet to his death. No one apparently warned Melissa that her calls in and out of jail were monitored, and when she was caught laughing about killing a bicyclist, it was turned over to the Judge. She could have received less than 4 years on the charges, but I guess the Judge got pissed off when he heard the tape of her laughing! You can read the original article by clicking here now.
I will just say this. Everyone who knows me knows I am into Bikers Rights. The way I see it a person on a bicycle has the same rights to share the road as a person on a motorcycle. The victim in this case was a 45 year old man who simply took his bicycle out for a ride one evening and was the victim of a homicide at the hands of a drunken cager named Melissa Arrington. Kill a biker go to jail, this applies to bicyclist too!
The next winner I am going to talk about is a personal injury lawyer whose bullshit rantings were brought to my attention by Biker Law Blog readers. His name is Stephen D. Lombardi of Iowa. He apparently advertises on Injuryboard.com which is a service that charges attorneys big bucks per month to be listed on their site for exclusive areas. In other words when you go to injuryboard.com or most other lawyer directories you are going to find lawyers who pay big bucks to be listed there. Just because a lawyer pays big bucks to be listed does not mean you are getting the best lawyer in town if you know what I mean. Read some of my articles on selecting a motorcycle lawyer, or other personal injury lawyer.
Now I am not in anyway impugning Mr. Lombardi’s abilities as a lawyer. I do not know him or his work. He may be the best personal injury lawyer in Iowa, I have no clue. But I will say this; by his own writings he is no friend to bikers and motorcyclist. If you read his article that is posted here you will see full well that Mr. Lombardi supports discrimination against bikers and motorcyclist. He is endorsing mandatory helmet laws for bikers as well as mandatory insurance requirements for bikers. He might as well work for the insurance industry! Then, on his own website, he states that he represents people in motorcycle accidents. Click here and you will see what I mean. To cover himself he then wrote another article which you can read here. Apparently the biker community has caught on to his articles because they have been sending me links to this Mr. Lombardi.
All I can say is this; it is not good business to attack your own clients, or to endorse discrimination against those that you mean to represent.
I will let the biker and motorcycle community decide and make their own decision on this issue. I for one am a straight shooter. I am not one to bite the hand that feeds me. I am sure that Mr. Lombardi would appreciate comments from you bikers and motorcyclist in the biker community telling him what you think about his articles!
By Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., © 2008
Welcome, my name is 
Here is the operative part of what makes Lombardi tick: “Motorcyclists who are involved in wrecks and not wearing helmets account for a large number of victims suffering debilitating brain damage.” You have to assume that he is part of the statistic he cites.
Maybe it would be better if society was protected from the insanity inherent in lawyers who do NOT ride black Electra Glides 🙂
I have a hard time supporting bicyclists rights. This stems for their flagrant disregard for any sense of common courtesy on the roads or sidewalks. From the ones that I see there is a basic failure to obey fundamental traffic laws such as stopping for red lights or yielding to pedestrians.
Maybe in California bicyclists are different here in Washington State. Here it seems that bicyclists have a death wish.
As for the Drunk Driver — try the laws from El Salvador. There is no second offense.
The guy is a nazi talking about universal health care costing more for bikers to justify higher insurance premiums from bikers.
If they are so knowledgeable about bikes why do they keep insisting on selling us helmets when the product cuts off our hearing & peripheral vision? Both all important to avoiding accidents in the first place!
Todd
Norman,
While I understand that many people are passionate about rights, it is clear that many people’s exercise of those rights can be less than intelligent.
The clear evidence that nearly 70% of motorcycle fatalities involve riders who were not wearing helmets is difficult to refute. When I teach motorcycle safety classes, I liken this playing a casino game of chance – even those who do not wear helmets when they ride would think twice before playing a casino game that can liberate them of their cash 7 out of 10 plays. Except, the game they play when they ride without helmets is gambling with their lives, not money.
And considering the fact that over 4,000 riders lost their lives last year to head injuries (an increase of 127% over 1997 statistics) speaks volumes. I’ve seen the commentary on many sites that tries to relate the fact that nearly the same amount of people died in SUV accidents. Apples and oranges I say. The number of SUV owners far outpaces motorcycle owners in America.
With regards to your “steak knife” analogy, that dog just won’t hunt. If people were running up and down our national system of Interstate Defense Highways and killing each other in accidents with steak knives, I doubt that the law banning fools with steak knives on highways would take as long to be enacted as mandatory helmet laws.
In fact, this country is famous for enacting laws to protect people against less damaging things – breast implants for a time, law jarts, etc.
Why we are so unwilling to pull the trigger on something that would clearly save lives? Motorcycles make up less than 2% of all vehicles, and account for .4% of all miles traveled, and we still have as many deaths as SUV drivers?
No one is taking away the privilege to ride, the suggestion is simply that motorcycle head injuries impact many people. I personally lost a relative and a friend to a lack of helmet usage.
It’s time to stop the arguments and save lives. States require seatbelt use to save lives, it’s time for the helmet law.
I totally agree with you. First of all it’s absolutely inhuman to do what that stupid woman did (excuse, but I can’t call her otherwise). And it’s just because you’re a biker, but it’s not normal at all to laugh to someone saying that you killed a biker…
Mr. Fernandez:
I really wish you had broken this post up into two rants. Being lumped in with a drunk driver who is capable at laughing about taking someone’s life is a first for us.
While you might not agree with Mr. Lombardi’s opinions, we believe helping him publish them is an important role to play. And we invite you and your readers to share your opinions at InjuryBoard as well. You can do so through the comments (there are plenty of opportunities… http://www.injuryboard.com/blogs/motorcycle-accidents/) or as guest bloggers in our new Voices program. Just email me directly if you’d like more information.
Oh and btw… smoking is bad for you too.
Helmet laws suck , I can no longer ride a motorbike because of my knee where i twisted the below knee around and damged the cartiladge and am no longer considered fit to be in control of one, but I am not classed as disabled , and , still ride an all terrain bike almost everywhere , without discomfort, so why ban me ? So now they want to make me wear a helmet on the mountain bike ! Why not teach car and commercial vehicle to look out a bit better, give some consideration , after all they are in a steel cocoon , what next? a suit of armour?
Well if a bicyclist fails to stop for a red light or yield to pedestrians then they should be responsible for the repercussions of their actions just like anyone else.
The gist of my article is a bicycle rider being run over by a drunk driver and being dragged to his death due to no fault of his own, only to have the person who did it laugh about it!
Apples and Oranges!
Norm
What is amazing Todd is that this same guy wants to represent bikers! Would you want a guy like this representing you?
Norm
Thanks for your response Mr. Lombardi. Many of my readers are other lawyers, and many are bikers.
If you read my articles you will see that I personally recommend wearing a helmet, and I personally recommend large insurance policies. I choose not to force my views on free Americans, I only make recommendations.
How many people are killed or seriously injured with steak knives each year? Should we ban steak knives? You see living is a risky business, and a fatal illness in the end!
You see Mr. Lombardi, I actually practice what I preach. I am a biker. I will be riding to the Laughlin River run this weekend along with tens of thousands of other bikers. I will be wearing a full face helmet, and I will have a great time.
I will not preach mandatory insurance minimums, mandatory helmet laws, or mandatory health insurance to those I mean to represent, because it I believe in freedom of choice.
Yes motorcycle accidents can and do result on horrific injuries, just like car accidents, slip and falls, product liability cases, etc. Why single out bikers, especially if you want them as clients?
Norm
Well J. Miller you do make some good arguments. How about this one; 100% of all fatal non motorcycle vehicle accidents, i.e. car, trucks, suv’s, etc., involve people who are not wearing helmets. Therefore, we should make all people who ride in cars wear helmets.
Furthermore, there are many more deaths related to non motorcycle vehicle accidents, i.e. car, trucks, suv’s, etc., than motorcycles. Therefore it is much more critical to enact mandatory helmet laws for people riding in cages, cars, suv’s, trucks, etc.
The simple truth is that no matter what argument you make, there are counter arguments that also make sense, so why just discriminate against bikers and motorcyclist? Why not go after the whole enchilada?
I always recommend wearing a helmet. I wear a helmet. However, I am against big brother telling me that I have to wear a helmet. Regulations always seem to lead to more regulations!
Norm