I am wondering if BMT was occupying one of the regular car lanes. On a big bike, most probably.
I keep as far left as I can get, out of the way of vehicles bigger than me. I feel uncomfortable if I am in a regular lane, for fear of getting shunted as BMT did.
That does not justify the behavior of the scum that hit him. However, my driving methods are about risk minimization, and constant threat assessment.