Police say Haitham Gamal was riding a bike because his license had been taken away after three convictions for drunk driving.
Cole told the Orange County Register, "a lot of my clients are in denial. He wasn't."
Orange County deputies say the 19-year-old who hit Gamal had been drinking. The driver and an 18-year-old passenger were treated for minor head injuries.
“He was on the road to recovery," Cole finished.
The day before he was killed, Gamal had been sentenced to five-years-probation and 45 days in jail.
He was to begin serving those terms in a few months.