A country-road collision

Steve was riding along a country road when a tractor pulled out of a field directly into his path. He braked hard, lost control and slid into the trailer it was towing.

The crash left him with serious injuries. He initially instructed another law firm to handle his claim.

When the evidence put his claim at risk

The police report referred to skid marks at the scene and suggested that Steve had been speeding.

His previous solicitors instructed an accident reconstruction expert, who relied on those marks when concluding that Steve had been travelling too fast. That interpretation significantly weakened his case.

For Steve, the way the evidence had been understood became a central obstacle to his claim.

The motorcycle detail that prompted a closer look

When Fergus Dalgarno from The Biker Lawyers reviewed the file, he noticed an important detail: Steve’s 2014 Suzuki GSX-R1000 was fitted with ABS.

Steve confirmed that the ABS system had not been disabled. This raised questions about the interpretation of the skid marks and the conclusions drawn from them.

Fergus challenged the evidence that had been used to suggest Steve was speeding. Once that interpretation was questioned, the course of the case changed.

The important point was understanding the particular motorcycle involved and examining what the evidence could establish about this collision.

A settlement of more than £100,000

Steve ultimately secured a settlement well in excess of £100,000.

His case shows the difference that specialist motorcycle knowledge can make when reviewing an accident claim. For Steve, a closer look at the bike helped challenge an interpretation of the evidence that had put his case at risk.