The Athlete's Lawyer

On Sunday, October 05, 2008, at 08:00 AM TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau will race at George Mason University, in the “Friends of the Orphans” 5km. The race will start and finish on Mason Pond Drive near the Center for the Arts Concert Hall, covering the Patriot’s Circle course. This event will also be timed by Pacers running store of Alexandria.

Whether you’re a track star or a leisurely stroller, this all-ages event will be fun for everyone! All proceeds from the Fiesta 5K will benefit the children living at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”), homes located throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, supported by Friends of the Orphans.  Online registration can be found at Active.com

Have you ever eaten a walnut ?  Have you ever crushed a walnut shell and looked at the walnut, unbroken  ?  The shell’s insides look sort of like the inside of our skulls and the walnut looks a bit like a brain.  The big difference is that unlike the walnut, the brain is not hard and it moves around in a fluid inside the skull.  Sometimes the brain is injured because it bumps and crashes against the inside of the hard boney skull in a car crash, slip and fall or bike accident.  Other times the brain twists and torques and nerves are torn by the shearing forces.

When these nerves (or “axons”) are torn, the result is “diffuse axonal injury”  (“DAI”).  Of these, 80% will result in MICROscopic tears, so you won’t see them.  Brain injuries where there has not been a skull fracture or cut to the outside of the head with bleeding, swelling and discoloration, are hard to diagnoses.  Many times, these “closed head injuries” go undiagnosed. In fact, autopsy and histopathic studies have shown that the extent of DAI always exceed that visualized macroscopically.  Furthermore, these injuries are “Non-Hemorrhagic”, which means no bleeding, so bleeding tests for bleeding in the brain or skull will not show anything.  This is why at Abrams Landau, Ltd., our Herndon Reston area brain injury law firm tells callers it is important to get thoroughly examined after a car crash, slip and fall or bike accident that involves a blow to the head or sudden acceleration or deceleration.

After returning to Northern Virginia Saturday from the Brain Injury meeting at the State Capitol, I unpacked, rested up and then participated in the “Kit’s Miracle Mile” 10km. at the Fairfax campus of George Mason University. This event celebrated the survivors with brain injuries and raised money for Brain Injury Services (United Way #8237). Some of the things I learned:

• Did you know that 1.4 million people will sustain a Traumatic Brain Injury (“TBI”) each year in the United States ?

• Did you know that males are 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a TBI ?

• Did you know that the leading causes of TBI are: falls; motor vehicle accidents; struck by/against; and assaults ?

These are some of the Brain Injury Facts disseminated at the 5th Annual the Fifth Annual Kit Callahan’s Miracle Mile. benefiting Brain Injury Services, Inc. Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau, who finished 5th overall, is shown here with Leesburg attorney Barbara Willliams after the race. Barbara brought her “Team BSW” to the George Mason University campus in Fairfax in order to support survivors of brain injury. This top Virginia Trial Lawyer and Landau had both attended the Brain Injury Retreat in Richmond. Both ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. and the Law Office of Barbara Williams help clients and the families of those who have suffered devastating injuries as the result of car crashes, falls, defective products, bike crashes, truck wrecks and other negligently caused trauma.

I also learned that the symptoms of an acute head trauma often do not show up until days or even weeks after a car or bike crash.  That is why it is so important to watch a friend or family member who ha been in a car crash or bike accident in the days that follow.  They may not remember hitting their head.  They may not remember a loss of consciousness.  They may have short and/or long term memory loss.  They may develop headaches – perhaps from the initial impact, or from the second impact (i.e., from the airbag’s explosion or “bouncing on the pavement”).  They may not even remember that they had a concussion.

At the Brain Injury seminar in Richmond, I learned that the microscopic injuries to brain cells do not show up very well on diagnostic imaging and are hard to diagnose.  The brain cells inside the skull can “shear” or be torn by the sharp protuberances inside the head that keep the various lobes separated.  If you or someone you know had sustained a head injury, and have continued symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, memory loss, etc., help them to get to a neurological specialist quickly.

Always looking to combine my Cases with nearby “Faces,” “Places” and “Races,” I was lucky enough to participate in the McDonalds Maymont Park Cross Country Festival tonight after a full day of meetings with doctors and lawyers at the VTLA Brain Injury retreat. Teams from all over Virginia ran the very challenging course over the several days of events. There were races and distances for runners of all ages, and the scenic course was hilly, curvy and carpeted where it crossed the service roads, so that runners’ spikes wold not get ruined. Several hundred runners took part in the “Open” event Friday evening, after watching the elementary school races . Having never run in Maymont, I was glad for the chance to see this terrific park. It was also a chance to run on grass (there were no obstacles) and see some of the best high school talent afterwards. Plus, cross country running on a well-marked (and even roped off) course like this is a great change of pace from a steady diet of road races. The Richmond Sports Backers, as always, did a wonderful job, with plenty of excellent volunteers and spectators.

Yesterday’s post concerning professional athletes and traumatic brain injury could not have been more timely as TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau headed to Richmond for the VTLA “by invitation only” Brain Injury meeting. The Hendon Reston area brain injury lawyer went to learn the latest advances in law and medicine for helping victims of head trauma and their families. In addition to doctors and lawyers from around the country, the Brain Injury Association of Virginia was also represented. The BIAV has educational programs, public awareness activities to enhance understanding of brain injury and prevention awareness. BIAV also has a camp for survivors and personal support through local group meetings.

Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau received word that THE FIFTH ANNUAL KIT CALLAHAN’S MIRACLE MILE was this weekend, benefitting BRAIN INJURY SERVICES. This 10K run and fun walk will be held this Sunday, September 28, 2008, 7:30 AM to noon, at the beautiful GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, Fairfax campus.

• There will be 2 courses: The 10K (6.2 miles) USATF Certified course will consist of running/walking around Patriot Circle 3 times.
• For those interested in a shorter run/walk, there will be a “Survivors’ Circle of Hope” course. This course starts at the 10K start line but goes in the opposite direction towards Patriot Circle. The course ends with a left onto Aquia Drive. The Herndon Reston Virginia area brain injury lawyer will participate in the 10K run, which covers some of the same campus as the Victims Rights Run Landau participates in every year.
• However, you can run/walk 1 or 2 miles…the choice is yours! The 10K run will be timed by Pacers, the excellent Alexandria Running store.The beneficiary of this charitable event is Brain Injury Services (“BIS”), Inc.

Since 1989, BIS has helped individuals in Northern Virginia and outlying suburbs. In the past few years, BIS has expanded services to include Fredericksburg and other Counties. Their Case Management Services are provided at no cost. They offer additional services either at no cost or on a sliding scale, including independent living skills training, respite care, specialized day programs and social skills training. At any given time, “BIS” is helping approximately 500 individuals in the region manage the challenges of living with a brain injury. Their mission is to improve the lives of people who are affected by a brain injury through community-based programs, education and advocacy. To learn more visit BRAIN INJURY SERVICES. United Way #8237

The 2008 Virginia Triathlon Series (“VTS”) ended for me on Saturday with the Smith Mountain Lake, Big Lick Olympic Distance Triathlon.  While I did not “seize up” and walk, as I had the last to races I completed, this was a tough, painful and slow event for me.  Having done a 2:19 last year, and placed in my age group in prior years, my 4th place in the age group and 2:27 finishing time after a very light 2 weeks of training where disappointing.  For the 3rd week in a row, when I hopped of my bicycle and started the run, the muscles in my legs would not listen to what my brain was telling them to do.  I was only able to manage a 7:12/mile pace with a corresponding heart rate of 158-166 bpm.  Only one person successfully passed me on the bike and run, but to be competitive in my category, you have to break 2:20 for the Olympic Distance.   I hope to compete in some fall 5-10km. road and cross country races before taking my annual “winter hiatus” to let my body completely recover and get ready for next year’s challenge’s.  Rest and recovery are as important as an aggressive training schedule, and cyclical training plans can have beneficial, long-term results if exercise, nutrition and rest are properly balanced.  Here I am with my wife after we both completed this tough, Olympic distance triathlon.

One of the season highlights for this TriathlonTrialLawyer is the Big Lick Olympic Distance Triathlon at Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, Virginia. This race is also where the Virginia college teams vie for bragging rights on a course that takes place in an award-winning state park. Virginia Tech, James Madison University, UVa and other schools sent teams and there were also numerous relays in this year’s race. The “Big Lick” is one of the last events in the Virginia Triathlon Series, and one of the few competitions where Doug Landau is likely NOT to miss the starting gun ! When the Herndon Reston area injury lawyer is able to stay in a cabin just several hundred yards from the staging area INSIDE the park, he is able to be on time. The course takes place in the pristine, man-made Smith Mountain Lake (not to be confused with nearby “Mountain Lake,” where the movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed). The bike course is inside the park and then over mostly smoothly paved roads over the surrounding hills. The run is very safe, hilly and completely inside the park.

[Photo, L->R: Rob Colburn, "Kona Kevin" Kunkel, Melissa Landau & Mary Delaney of "Rehab to Racing" putting on their wetsuits in the transition area before the start of the race.]

As the 2008 Triathlon season draws to an end, it is important to also thank the volunteers.  It has been another fun season of racing in venues all over the United States.  Other than the rainswept Duathlon National Championships with its multiple bike crashes and wipeouts, the racing has been safe, competitive and exciting.  Having volunteered at several races this year, I recognize the time effort and patience volunteering requires.  Plus, volunteers and race directors get all the complaints and few of the compliments.  Please consider their valuable time and the fact that  they are giving up their weekend time, early mornings  and comfy chairs for you.  Race and event volunteers – the “show” would not go on without them.