Tuesday, June 7, 2005 | 9:52 a.m.
Family law attorney Matthew Manning was known for the seersucker shirts, big belt buckles and cowboy boots made of ostrich leather that he wore in court.
But more importantly, he was known for his passionate, aggressive approach on behalf of his clients that one colleague compared to the attack of a pitbull.
Fellow family law attorneys and court officials on Monday were mourning Manning, a partner at the Las Vegas firm Hofland Manning, who was killed Friday on his way home from work in an unusual motorcycle wreck on U.S. 95. He was 34.
"In the difficult field of practicing family law, he was someone to be reckoned with," friend and colleague John Eccles said. "You may have loved him, you may have hated him, but everyone seemed to respect him."
Sgt. Mike Nihei said Manning was heading north on U.S. 95 near Boulder Highway just before 7 p.m. when a car kicked up a small chunk of tire tread that hit Manning on the helmet.
Manning veered to the right, hit the retaining wall and was thrown from his motorcycle. He was taken to a hospital where he died, Nihei said.
Motorcycle crashes caused by road debris are not common, he said.
"It was one of those freaky things," Nihei said. "It was a fluke."
Debris on the highway isn't much of a concern for car drivers, but for motorcyclists it could be a death sentence, authorities said.
The Nevada Department of Transportation crews typically are responsible for clearing highway debris, or if the Highway Patrol is alerted, troopers will do it.
Sean Comey, national spokesman for AAA, didn't have statistics but agreed that incidents such as this occur infrequently.
"Debris falling onto the roadway is a problem in a lot of respects but that (debris resulting in a death) is relatively rare," he said.
Manning, a native of Roanoake, Va., took pride in his Southern heritage. In 2001 he and two partners opened the Original Texas BBQ restaurant on West Sahara Avenue near Jones Boulevard, and a phrase on his motorcycle read, "Southern born, Texas torn," Eccles said.
He graduated from law school at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and began practicing law in Nevada in 1998.
Local family law attorney Rhonda Mushkin said she mentored Manning for several years earlier in his career.
"He was a character," she said. "I want him to be remembered as somebody who really fought for his clients, who really went the extra mile to try to do the very best for his clients, and I don't know if you can ask anything more of a lawyer."
Eccles met Manning about five years ago and, after battling in court, they built a friendship. Eccles later took a job at Manning's firm.
"I was tired of opposing him in court," Eccles said. "He was difficult to beat because he worked his cases very hard."
Manning was outgoing and liked being the center of attention, partner Bradley Hofland said, adding that "when you spoke to him, you knew he was a lawyer."
He wasn't married and had no children. He lived with his two dogs, Peaches and Belle, and within the past few weeks he was looking at land to buy in Kingman, Ariz., Eccles said. His dream was to have a ranch with horses.
Motorcycling was a favorite hobby, and he also liked dirt biking, Eccles said.
Three months ago he injured his knee while riding his dirt bike, and on Friday his doctor gave had given him the green light to start riding in the desert again.
Manning referred to his road motorcycle as a "hardly," Eccles said. He had Harley-Davidsons in the past but they broke down on him, so he bought a Yamaha and had it modified to resemble a Harley.
"He loved riding his motorcycle," Eccles said. "That's what brought calm to his life."
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