The Athlete's Lawyer

Cycling around Virginia's vineyards is a wonderful Fall activity

After some serious racing, TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau had a “rendezvous” with his wife in order to participate in a Virginia Vineyard tour.  Visiting several Loudoun County vintners, the Landaus were able to learn about wine making, different kinds of wine and see where the grapes are actually grown and fermented.  The Loudoun, Leesburg and Fairfax injury lawyer got a flat tire on his mountain bike, but was able to get a ride back to the starting point, and hop on his triathlon racing bike.  He saw many people taking the Virginia Wine Tour with Chariots for Hire,  the “Premier Virginia Wine limo tour With prices starting at $40/person !” The Chariots for Hire tour had several advantages: you did not have to worry about biking back to your car, driving after sampling wines and transporting any cases, Jeroboams or Double Magnums you may have purchased !

Doug Landau and fellow Virginia trial lawyer and Reston triathlete Rob Somers, celebrating after the finish of the South Riding Sprint Triathlon

Team Tri Performance put on another wonderful race this summer, and credit goes to Coach Brian Crow and his volunteers. Doug Landau had a “hot date” later that day, so he was putting the “pedal to the metal” at the South Riding sprint triathlon.

The race started with a 400 meter snake swim. The competitors next had to bike 12 miles in and around South Riding. The run was a fast out and back course through the streets and trails in South Riding. The Loudoun and Prince William injury lawyer had a good day. After a 7:42 swim & run to the bike (38th out of 300), Landau had a 33 second transition, the second fastest of the day ! The TriathlonTrialLawyer’s 32:20 bike split was good enough for 11th at 22.3 MPH. Another speedy transition in under a minute (43 seconds to get off the bike and into his running shoes, the 9th fastest of the day) put Landau into position to run down the swimmers who had 2 minutes or more on him out of the pool. Averaging 6:37 per mile, Landau ran a 20:31 5km., the 7th fastest overall, and was only passed by one person once on “dry land,” a relay competitor whom the South Riding injury lawyer had trained with several years ago. Final time was 1:01:47, good enough for 8th overall, and first of the 19 finishers in his age group. Full results can be found at the Team TPR Shutterfly site.

Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau and Mark Lander of Evolution Fitness at the start of another safe USAT certified race

USA Triathlon is the national governing body for the sports of triathlon, duathlon, winter triathlon and aquathlon in the United States.  Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau has competed in USAT National Sprint Triathlon, Duathlon, Olympic Distance Triathlon and Aquathlon Champoinships.  He achieved All American and Honorable Mention status and even qualified for the World Championships as the result of his participation in USAT Age Group competition.

Participation in a USAT sanctioned event means the event director has the proper permits in place, liability and athlete excess medical insurance coverage and the event plan has met the standard of organization required. USA Triathlon provides rules, guidance and governance to set the standard for safe and fair multi-sport races. For more information on USA Triathlon and fueling the multi-sport lifestyle, visit their website.

The family of a bicyclist killed in an intersection crash is suing the driver they allege was making an illegal U-turn.  In the suit, attorneys for the bicyclist’s family claim the driver acted negligently when she struck and killed him as he passed by in a bike lane according to news reports in Washington.

According to the lawsuit filing,  the biker was riding south when the Ford Econoline van driven by the Defendant company’s employee cut across the bike lane as the driver tried to perform a U-Turn. Unable to stop, the  39-year-old cyclist collided with the van as it crossed the bike lane and was killed.  Attorney James Rogers is seeking compensation for the cyclist’s two young daughters.  Plaintiffs’ counsel argued in court documents that the driver’s negligence resulted in his client’s death. Her employer, Rogers said, shares responsibility as the driver was working at the time of the collision. A tentative trial date is set for early 2011.

A dog bite injury is a serious injury, which can be disfiguring and cause serious emotional as well as physical injury.  Sometimes the scarring can be repaired by skilled plastic surgeons, but the psychological impact can be devastating to a child.  The Fairfax Bar Association’s official Lawyer Referral Service sought our help today on behalf of a little league baseball player who was attacked and bitten on the face by a Pit Bull.  The small boy did nothing to provoke the animal’s attack, and the strength and speed of the animal was too much for its owner.  The animal had the child’s face in its maw, and there were injuries to the inside of his mouth and a scar from his nose to his lip.

The Fairfax County Police investigated the incident.  The law enforcement authorities charged the dog owners with not having the dog licensed.  Of greater concern to the child’s mother, the dog was found not to be current on its rabies shots.  As is often the case, the dog owners deny responsibility, and now claim that the dog may have accidently “bumped” the child’s chin, splitting his lip.  There may also be problems with insurance coverage for this attack.  Stay tuned.
If you have sustained a dog bite injury or attack by a dangerous animal, please call the law firm of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., at 703-796-9555 or e-mail us at once, as these cases do not get better over time.