The MCM legal column is compiled by managing partner Andrew ‘Chef’ Prendergast and his bike-riding barristers and solicitors at White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors.
The firm deals with personal injury claims and its sister company, Motor Defence Solicitors, deals with all the motoring offences.
White Dalton lawyers have a vast knowledge of bike law, and they have full bike licences, too. They don’t act for insurance companies or the prosecution.
White Dalton is Britain’s premier specialist motorcycle law practice, and if its professionals don’t know the answer to your question, there probably isn’t one. Don’t rely on the advice from your insurance appointed solicitor, get proper independent advice.
Bus Vs Hayabusa
23 Oct 2014
A bus pulled out from a minor road directly in front of me and my Hayabusa. I had no chance of stopping and T-boned it. I’ve lost two teeth, fractured my neck, punctured my lung, broken two ribs and fractured my pelvis. Summer isn’t looking too sweet but I’m alive…
Compensation Benefits
02 Oct 2014
I have been knocked off my motorcycle by a bus. The company’s insurer has admitted liability, and I have just been offered £11,000 to settle my claim.
Agricultural accident
25 Sep 2014
I was having a cracking summer until last month. I was on the way back from the coast in Norfolk on my BMW and had taken the twisty country roads for a more enjoyable journey. As I’m legally allowed to, I was riding at 60mph.
Compensation Claims Texts
04 Sep 2014
I was waiting in traffic on my SV1000 when some numpty in a Corsa ran into the back of me. I lost my balance and the Suzuki leaned to that point of no return so I laid it down gently.
Howzat
31 Jul 2014
I was riding with my IAM group past a sports club where the local team was playing cricket. Apparently ‘Big Tony’ nailed the ball for six, and unfortunately hit me square in the face of my open-faced lid. Unsurprisingly I wobbled off course and hit the back of a parked car.
Hire bike trouble
24 Jul 2014
I think I’ve got myself in serious trouble. I got knocked off my old Bandit 600 several months ago. It’s worth about £1400 and I only use it when it rains as I don’t want to dirty up my Triumph.
Illegal speed van
03 Jul 2014
I was out with some mates for a blast up the coast near where I live on my new MT-09. I went for an overtake, and in all honesty I was doing about 45mph in 30mph when I spotted a speed camera van parked up in a well dodgy position on the side of the […]
Fish & Chip oil slick
26 Jun 2014
I have a weird situation… My mate lives out in the sticks in a little housing estate. I swung round to see him on my XJR1300 and as I turned into his close my front-end slipped away and I tumbled off. I hit the deck and fractured my elbow. Upon getting up I saw the […]
High speed tyre
05 Jun 2014
I had a new tyre fitted to my GSXR1000 by a small garage local to me. About a month later I took my bike to my main dealer for a service after I got back from Germany. While in Germany I had ridden around the Nurburgring at speeds of up to 180mph.
Uninsured third party
29 May 2014
Have I got problems? I was riding my CBR600RR down a residential road when a car reversed straight out of a drive in front of me. I had no chance of braking and ‘T-boned’ his rear passenger door.
Off-road with no tax?
10 Apr 2014
I have just bought a DRZ400 with road tyres It hasn’t got an MoT or Tax, but instead of spending money on this I’m thinking of spending it on some knobblies and going ‘off-road’ for some giggles There are loads of local woods, parks and farmland, so I figured as long as I stick to […]
Dodgy eBay buyer
03 Apr 2014
I put my old Yamaha Fazer 1000 up on eBay, and had a chap visit for a look before placing a bid. I let him have a spin around the block, but he clipped an old lady on a zebra crossing. The police were involved, and he’s getting done for careless driving. That’s fair enough […]
Muppet Solicitor
13 Mar 2014
Do I have to stick with my insurer panel appointed solicitor? He is a muppet. Some ‘spoon’ banged into the rear of my bike at a junction.
Road tentacles
06 Mar 2014
I was riding on my old CB750k2, and there were some of those rubber tubes across the road that measure the traffic, attached to a metal box chained to a lamppost.
Foreign Driver Accidents
19 Feb 2014
In my opinion, in recent years there has been a noticeable increase on British roads of foreign cars. I would be grateful if you could give some advice in case I have an accident with a foreign driver. In the event of any kind of accident involving a motorcycle and a foreign vehicle driven on […]
Dog Vs Bike
12 Feb 2014
I was riding along my local high street when a chihuahua dog (yes, the really small type) called Twinkle jumped out of her owner’s handbag and ran straight out in front of me, causing me to swerve, crash into a massive pile of rubbish outside the local kebab shop and fall off. Not my coolest […]
Not wheelie very good
06 Nov 2013
I have just got back into biking (I used to have a Triumph Tiger 500 back in the 1970s – good times) and bought a new Yamaha Rl on which to head out on rides with my mates. I had only had it for a few weeks when I had an incident.
Mobility stupidity
30 Oct 2013
I was riding my bike down a main road near to where I live. At a junction to my left there was a stationary white van and as I came closer I could see the driver waving his arms about like a mad man. I slowed down thinking there must surely be something wrong.
