TheAthletesLawyer

Worldgate Sport & Health Club in Herndon Virginia’s loss is McLean’s gain. After about 4 years of coaching at Worldgate, Coach Katie Davison will be moving on.   Telling the Masters swimmers who have trained with her during the early morning workouts in the shallow pool just off the Dulles Toll Road, “I guess I just feel that it is time for a change. The good news…I will be starting up a masters team beginning on Tuesday March 4th at Regency Sport and Health in McLean.”

Coach Katie leading the Worldgate Sport & Health club

What: TriMasters @ Regency Sport and Health (http://www.sportandhealth.com/club.aspx?id=282&sn=96)
When: T/Th 530-630 am and 630-730 am (each hour would be the same workout)
Who: masters swimmers, triathletes, anyone looking for a group to workout with, one must be able to swim 2000m in 1 hour.
Coach: Katie Davison, will be present at every workout. She will swim with the group while giving the workout and leading the sets. She will give some/little individual stoke technique **These are not swimming lessons.
Sign-Up: at the Regency front desk. $20/month for members, $50/month for nonmembers.
So, if you work in the Tysons area, check it out. The group at Worldgate Sport & Health was a steady 20-30 swimmers, some of whom competed successfully at the Maryland Terrapin Masters 1000/1650 meet this winter and many others who have realized their triathlon and long distance swimming goals. Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau and all the Worldgate Masters all wish Coach Katie success and hope she will drop by to visit the “World-Gators” in Herndon in the future !

Ever one for tradition, Doug Landau re-instituted his family’s tradition of attending the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York City at last years 100th anniversary.  He returned, with family members from New York and New Jersey in tow, again this year.

Doug Landau at the 101st Millrose Games, Madison Square Garden, NY

Hall of Fame Trial Lawyer Norman Landau had taken the family and friends for years to what many consider “the indoor Olympics.” Norman Landau had even competed as a high school student in front of the thousands of sports fans in a handicap race that was held at The Garden in the 1940s.  Doug Landau finds that this indoor track and field competition is almost like theater, with something for everyone. There is often a running race going on while another athlete is throwing, jumping or vaulting. In other words, just like the offices of ABRAMS LANAU, LTd., there is never a dull moment !

Doug Landau of Abrams Landau, Ltd. had the opportunity to meet with Nicolas Jafarieh of the Jafarieh Law Group this week. Attorney Jafarieh founded “SportsLegalForms” the nation’s first and leading provider of legal forms for sports and activity professionals, and the active individual. All of their forms are carefully drafted, reviewed and regularly updated by experienced attorneys, according to Jafarieh. Furthermore, this is done at a fraction of what it would cost to have the same form drafted by a lawyer !

Doug Landau & Nicolas Jafarieh

While TheAthletesLawyer Doug Landau had served on the Tri-Fed USA Lawyers Committee years ago, Nicolas Jafarieh has more recently served as a member of the board of directors of the United States Triathlon Association (USAT) for the Mid-Atlantic region. He is also an Ironman Triathlon finisher, and a founder of the DC Triathlon Club, which has grown to become one of the most active and innovative triathlon communities in the country with nearly one thousand members.

Can both sides of a single bike crash win jury verdicts in Virginia ?
The answer is “yes.”
With the recent verdict in a fatal bike crash case in Montgomery County, Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau points out that we can see that not only can both sides of a crash case lose, due to contributory negligence and assumption of the risk, but both sides can also win when there are negligent third parties involved.
In the Blacksburg Triathlon case, the bicyclist who died from injuries sustained in the June 2000 race won a verdict against the race sponsor and director.  More recently, the driver he smashed into won a jury verdict when she was able to show that these same Defendants were negligent.  For the complete discussion on this unusual outcome, go to  “both sides of crash win verdicts” at www.LandauInjuryLaw.com.

Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau is often contacted by injured Virginians who want to bring a claim against the person who caused the accident. While the injured cyclist may have significant injuries and the motorist or trucker who caused their brain injury and disability may have a terrible driving record, the case can be dismissed by a Virginia Court due to the affirmative defense of “Contributory Negligence.” This is any fault on he part of the injured biker (the “plaintiff”) that was A cause of the crash, no matter how small !

The doctrine of contributory negligence is an affirmative defense to a bike, car or truck crash accident claim. It is typically raised by a defense attorney in order to Read the rest of this entry »

Bike crashes are terrifying. Bike crashes that result in brain injury can be devastating. Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau has crashed, but luckily escaped with minor injuries compared to those suffering from brain injury and acute closed head trauma.

In Virginia, 347 riders ended up in the hospital after a crash in 2004, according to Bikesmart, Virginia. Bike Smart Virginia ! The average hospital stay was four days and the median cost nearly $13,000. Traumatic brain injuries accounted for 23 percent of those hospitalizations Read the rest of this entry »

Nothing gets Doug Landau’s heart rate up like being chased by a big dog while running or riding ! Even the Triathlon Trial Lawyer has had easy training sessions turn into all out sprints when a large canine decides to attack ! While The Athletes Lawyer can usually smile after his heart rate returns to normal, dog and animal attacks are not always laughing matters. For an excellent treatment of this serious subject, by two experienced cyclists, read, “How To Deal With Bad Dogs,” by Fred Matheny and Ed Pavelka

The authors cover such topics as “dog psychology,” what to do if you are bitten by a dog, and steps to take if you are repeatedly harassed by the same animal. They note that “the majority of dogs who chase cyclists are Read the rest of this entry »

The recent verdict from Montgomery County, Virginia underscores what Herndon lawyer Doug Landau has been emphasizing for years: that contrary to what many injured athletes think, the amount of medical bills and lost wages are not subject to some “formula” to calculate settlement or likely verdict outcomes.

In the Blacksburg Virginia Triathlon case, a bicyclist crashed into a car when it ran the stop sign Read the rest of this entry »

Bike crash victims in Virginia face many obstacles when bringing a lawsuit for their injuries.  The Athletes Lawyer Doug Landau notes that where the injured cyclist VOLUNTARILY UNDERTOOK A KNOWN DANGER, she may not be able to recover ANY damages in a Virginia Court.  While other states COMPARE the fault of the injured bicyclist with that of the negligent motorist, truck driver or other vehicle operator, Virginia adheres to this affirmative defense as a complete bar to any and all recovery by the injured athlete.  That is why attorneys for defendants frequently assert the defense of “Assumption of the Risk” in Virginia lawsuits arising out of bike crash, auto accident and unsafe bike path claims.

The Annual Meeting of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (”VTLA”) takes place at the end of March. While The Athletes Lawyers spends most of his time there at lectures, meetings, moderating programs and conferring with co-counsel, Doug Landau manages to sponsor a Tennis Tournament and participate in the “Fun Run” sponsored by his friend and colleague Steve Garver, of Reston, Virginia. The weather is usually cold and wet, but the venue is superb for networking and learning about changes in the law, trial techniques and products available to help injured and disabled clients.

The VTLA Fun Run, sponsored by Reston Trial Lawyer Steve Garver (kneeling, in hat) is a favorite event at the Annual Convention, even when it rains !

The Athletes Lawyer Doug Landau has sponsored the VTLA Annual Tennis Tournament for many years. Here, the frozen participants are all smiles after wrming up with a hot cup of tea at The Greenbrier in