Biker Was Playing Peacemaker When S.U.V. Hit Him, Lawyer Says The man most seriously injured in an encounter between a swarm of motorcyclists and a family in an S.U.V. on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan on Sunday was playing the role of a peacemaker, his lawyer said on Friday. As the motorcyclist, Edwin Mieses Jr., was trying to defuse the standoff, the S.U.V., a Range Rover, accelerated suddenly and ran him over, the lawyer, Gloria Allred, said at a news conference. Mr. Mieses" back was broken in two places and he also suffered a torn aortic valve and a punctured lung, she said. That set off a wild chase, which was captured on video that was uploaded to YouTube, ending when a group of motorcyclists caught up to the Range Rover, pulled the driver out of the vehicle and beat him. The episode, which became national news, has touched off a debate over who was at fault and how to apportion the blame. The police and prosecutors are trying to answer that question, too. The driver's wife, in a statement released on Thursday, said she and her husband, Alexian Lien, feared for their lives when motorcyclists surrounded them, prompting them to plow forward and leave the scene. But in a news conference in Midtown before several dozen reporters on Friday, Ms. Allred asked the public to "look past their prejudices and biases" against motorcyclists, as she sought to cast Mr. Lien's decision to "roar off at top speed" and run over Mr. Mieses as unjustified. "Edwin Mieses did not do anything that justified Mr. Lien's decision to drive his Range Rover over him," Ms. Allred said, flanked by Mr. Mieses" partner of 17 years, Dayana Mejia, and his father, Edwin Sr. "He wanted to make sure that nothing happened to the driver and that any of the strong emotions anyone on their bikes might have had would be calmed down," Ms. Allred said. But in acknowledging that the situation required defusing and that Mr. Mieses was concerned about what might occur, she also seemed to acknowledge that the occupants of the S.U.V. had grounds for feeling threatened. Ms. Mejia described Mr. Mieses as a devoted father of the couple's two children and a generous man. "It tears me up that anyone could think that Edwin in any way deserves what happened to him," she said in a statement. Mr. Mieses had driven down from Massachusetts, where he lives, to join a large gathering of motorcyclists whose rides across the city are a regular Sunday occurrence. During such rides, it is not uncommon for the riders to commandeer entire roadways. At one point, the occupants of the Range Rover - Mr. Lien, his wife and their 2-year old daughter - found themselves amid a large number of motorcycles. As a motorcyclist in front of them slowed, Mr. Lien hit him, prompting a brief standoff in the middle of the Henry Hudson Parkway. Other motorcyclists began to gather around the S.U.V. Mr. Lien's wife, Rosalyn Ng, said that the family felt themselves to be in grave danger. But Ms. Allred said that Mr. Mieses was trying to help defuse the situation at the moment he was struck down. He had pulled over, put down the kickstand of his motorcycle and walked into the roadway to do that, she said. "He told everyone to move on and go back to riding and turned his back to the S.U.V. to start walking back to his own bike," she said. It was then, with his back to the S.U.V., and as he was in front of it, that he was run over and crushed. The S.U.V. ran right over him. Ms. Allred said her account was based on interviews with witnesses. She said Mr. Mieses was conscious and speaking with his family, but she declined to describe what he has said so far. Ms. Mejia said the difficulty of having her partner gravely injured was compounded by the public's response to the episode and the perception that many people had of the participants in Sunday's ride. "They are not thugs," she said, describing them as "ordinary people like you and me who share a common enthusiasm for motorcycles." Mr. Mieses" father, a pastor, said, "The driver of that S.U.V. is eventually going to have to face what he did." He also said that "emotions got the best of several people last Sunday, and when people react based on emotion, they often make poor choices." Mr. Lien, the driver, suffered facial lacerations and bruising. He has not spoken publicly about what occurred. So far, one motorcyclist, Christopher Cruz, 28, has been arraigned on charges of unlawful imprisonment and reckless driving. He was believed to have slowed his motorcycle directly in front of the Range Rover, which "restrained" those inside the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint against him. It was at that point that Mr. Lien hit Mr. Cruz's motorcycle, precipitating the initial standoff. A second man, Allen Edwards, 42, was also arrested, but prosecutors did not go forward with that case. The police said Mr. Edwards could be seen slamming his fists into the Range Rover's door shortly before Mr. Lien was dragged out and beaten.