The Athlete's Lawyer

Police road protection officers are often a Triathlon, Duathlon & Running Race Director’s biggest single expense

Having directed and volunteered at a number of running races, triathlons and tennis tournaments over the years, Broad Run, Ashburn and Leesburg bike crash lawyer Doug Landau knows that the big expense items are: Police protection, Insurance and Permits.  Having local law enforcement secure dangerous intersections and road crossings can insure a safer race.  The Loudoun Fairfax and Prince William sports injury lawyer has seen too many “near misses” and uncontrolled race intersections where the question was not “Would there be a crash ?’ but rather, “When would a biker or runner be injured in an accident ?”

In some cities, having police can cost a conscientious race director several thousands of dollars.  Some towns require a police officer at each road crossing.  When then Alexandria injury lawyer Landau directed the “FAB 5km” in Old Town, he carefully avoided crossing streets by using the Mount Vernon Trail and Oronoco Park.  In addition to the physical presence of the police officers, their police cruisers lights, flares and safety cones can also help prevent car crashes with runners or big trucks accidentally coming onto the race course !  So the next time you are wondering were your entry fee goes, remember to include the charitable beneficiary of the fundraising, the SWAG you will show off later and the safety personnel.

The Star City Striders put on many excellent running races in and around Roanoke Virginia

While visiting Blacksburg for his son’s graduation from Virginia Tech, Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau managed to squeeze in a quick race between events !   The Star City Striders timing clock burned up prior to the race, but the Roanoke area running club nevertheless staged fun, safe and challenging charity events for the Grandin Court Baptist Church youth activity programs in Salem, Virginia.  The injured athletes lawyer was staying in Slusher Tower – a dormitory that his son had served as a Resident Assistant in during his Sophomore year.  Leaving Blacksburg Virginia before most of the graduating students were awake, Montgomery County injury and accident lawyer Landau arrived at the race venue in time to see some competitors in cross country spikes !

Landau enjoys running on trails, dirt and grass, as these surface leave him less “beat up” than pounding the pavement.  However, due to park rules, the race volunteers we not able to mark the roots or lay down other safety instructions.  Luckily, the Herndon Reston area running injury lawyer saw no falls, twisted ankles, “face plants” or other athletic accidents.  Running with the leaders for the first kilometer, Landau fell back over the hills.  Keeping up his tempo through the single track woods, Landau finished 12th out of 169 in just over 22 minutes.  This pedestrian time was still good enough for the age group win and third masters.  Landau got back to the Tech campus to help his Hokie son pack, get a big Blacksburg lunch and drive his bride (and mother of TWO VaTech graduates) home to Oak Hill Virginia.

"Bike to Work Day" next Friday morning, May 21st, is a great excuse to commute on 2 wheels - but don't forget your helmet !

Bike to Work Day is May 21st.  Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau enjoys participating in Bike to Work Day, seeing friends at the rest stops, and picking up useful “SWAG” (“Stuff We All Get”).  This year, 35 pit stops around the region will offer snacks, drinks and other services to bikers, including 8 stops in Fairfax County and one in the City of Fairfax.  The local “Pit Stops” include the Herndon Town Green down the block from the “Landau Law Shop.”  While many injured cyclists have been helped by ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., we hope that there are no bike crashes or injuries that require our assistance.  The Fairfax area Pit Stops will be found next Friday morning at:

• Reston Town Center
• Vienna Town Green near the W&OD Trail
• Van Dyck Park in Fairfax City
• Fairfax Corner (near Coastal Flats)
• Booz Allen Hamilton in Tysons Corner, 8283 Greensboro Drive
• Metro Park business park, on Walker Lane in Springfield
• Merrifield Park (Strawberry Lane and Gallows Road)
• Burke Virginia Railway Express park and ride lot
• Herndon Town Green near the W&OD Trail

We hope to see a large turnout of Loudoun, Fairfax and Leesburg bikers for this fun, free and environmentally friendly annual event !

Avid cyclist, duathlete and Triathlon Trial lawyer Doug Landau compares state laws on "Comparitive Negligence" and the time it takes to get a sports injury case to a jury in Court

In yesterday’s post, the verdict in favor of the injured athlete was reported after an 8 year wait for the cyclist’s “day in court.”  The damages supporting the $2,900,000 jury verdict were substantial.  The permanently injured biker broke 4 vertebrae in her neck.  When the accident happened, the Plaintiff was host of a local-access television program about mountain biking. The injured cyclist now works at the front desk of a health club; she previously worked as an illustrator of children’s books.

The long wait to get to trial does not surprise injured athletes lawyer Doug Landau, who has prevailed in personal injury cases in Connecticut many years after the crash or dog attack.  This bike crash personal injury lawsuit took eight years to resolve the case because of a dispute about whether the Metropolitan District Commission (“MDC”) was immune from responsibility.  After a four-day trial, the jury decided the authority was not immune from responsibility for the injuries and harms caused by its negligence. However, the jury also found that the Plaintiff was partially responsible.

In Virginia, that finding, that the Plaintiff was partially to blame, would have resulted in a Defense verdict according to injured and disabled bikers’ lawyer Doug Landau of the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. In ABRAMS LANDAU cases in Connecticut and other Northern States, injured clients benefit from the law of “Comparitive Fault” but wait many years for their “day in court.” Another interesting note about the case is that three Plaintiff had offered to settle the case for less than the amount awarded by the jury, but MDC refused.  If you or someone you know has been injured while riding their bicycle in a car crash, due to an unsafe condition or because of a product defect, please e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) right away, as their are important time deadlines in every legal claim.

After hitting a bridge expansion joint on the Lee Bridge in Richmond and flatting out last month, Duathlete and bike injury lawyer Doug Landau noted with interest the case reported this month in the Hartford Courant. A Superior Court jury awarded a former mountain biker and children’s book illustrator $2.9 million for injuries suffered in a bicycle accident on land owned by the Metropolitan District Commission (“MDC”).   The jury ruled that the MDC had improperly placed a steel grate on a recreational path. According to the news report, the biker struck the steel grate and broke her neck.

The six-person jury awarded the money last week Friday to the injured athlete after finding that the regional water and sewer authority improperly placed a steel gate across a path within the Talcott Mountain Recreation Area. The 35-year-old Rocky Hill Plaintiff was biking on a trail in the area, also known as the West Hartford Reservoir, when she struck the gate, breaking four vertebrae in her neck in May of 2002.  The MDC had installed the gate to block motor vehicle access to the water. The MDC’s chief in-house lawyer said through a spokeswoman that the MDC was surprised by the verdict and intends to appeal.  For more on this interesting case, see tomorrow’s post

Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau supports Brain Injury Association programming and educational events for those suffering from head injury, loss of consciousness and traumatic brain injury ("TBI")

In recognition of March as Brain Injury Awareness Month and the Brain Injury Association’s ongoing commitment to sports and concussions, BIAA and its nationwide network of 44 State Affiliates is launching a year-long, nationwide education and advocacy campaign: “A concussion is a brain injury. Get the facts.”  The campaign will launch with public service announcements, awareness proclamations and special events. A state advocacy effort to introduce legislation to train coaches and protect youth athletes will continue throughout the year along with ongoing nationwide education.   Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau supports BIA programming and looks forward to sponsoring the BIA “Miracle Mile” event at George Mason University in September.

A concussion is a brain injury period. BIAA believes coaches of every school athletic team and every extracurricular athletic activity should be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of brain injury, including concussions and second impact syndrome. BIAA also believes young athletes who appear t have sustained a concussion should have written authorization by a health care professional before returning to play.

A concussion is caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Most concussions occur without a loss of consciousness and according to the CDC, a lack of proper diagnosis and management of concussion may result in a serious long-term consequences, or risk of coma or death. Signs and symptoms may be noticeable immediately, or it may take days or weeks before they are present.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions occur in the United State each year. Of that estimate U.S. emergency departments treat approximately 135,000 sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18.  To support year-long education and awareness efforts, click on the downloadable materials to distribute throughout your community today! BIAA encourages the use and distribution of these materials throughout 2010.

Wellesly Hills 5k race director & Richmond actress Nicole Fratkin signs her autograph for her fan Doug Landau

Everyone knows Doug Landau try a lot of cases and runs a lot of races.  The Triathlon Trial Lawyer has tried several workers compensation cases and Social Security claims on the same day.  The Herndon Reston injury lawyer even won the Herndon Super Sprint Triathlon and then 2 hours later was the Masters champ at the Spring Childrens Brain Tumor Foundation Biathlon.  In a fortnight, the Landaus hope to race at the
GroundForce IT Power Sprint Triathlon and then complete a “double header” by running in the Wellesly 5k.  Both events are in Richmond, where Mrs. Landau grew up, and the multisport competition will be held once again at the Shady Grove YMCA.  The Power Sprint starts at 7:00 AM, and consists of a 300 Meter Pool Swim, then a 20K Bike ride, followed immediately by a 5K Run through Glen Allen, Virginia, Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Wellesly run starts at a more civil time – 1:30 PM !  Not many races start after Sunday brunch !  The event directors are all high school students who state that they “ARE UNITING OUR COMMUNITY TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.”  As Sophomores at Deep Run High School they are continuing their Middle School Community Service Project, to help those kids who have cancer or who are recovering from cancer.  The Wellesley 5K has united the community to raise approximately $40,000 for pediatric cancer Read the rest of this entry »

Leesburg injury lawyer Doug Landau bikes to Loudoun Court house on Friday afternoon !

Because the Loudoun County Court House is not far from the W&OD Trail, Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau has biked to court !  It is less than 20 miles from the “Landau Law Shop” to the Circuit Court in Leesburg.  A Wrongful Death and Declaratory Judgment action filed by ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. was being submitted for approval by the Loudoun Circuit Court Friday afternoon.  Doug Landau has received a policy limits offer from the Defendant’s car insurance company for the fatal car crash after the Herndon Reston area law firm’s liability investigation was completed.

In order to get the family additional benefits, Landau filed a “Declaratory Judgement Action” so that the Circuit Court could issue a ruling on whether insurance policies held by other members of the family could also be accessed in order to compensate the plaintiffs for their losses.  The Circuit Court judge approved a $300,000 settlement, whereby the Defendant’s insurance company paid its policy limits of $100,000; a daughter living in the home’s policy paid $100,000 and another car owned by the family also paid its policy limits of $100,000.  If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an accident, please e-mail or call ABRAMS LANDAU (703-796-9555) today so that we can help them and their family with all their potential claims.

Doug Landau after the finish of the Ovarian Cancer 5k

How can Doug Landau be 7th across the finish line and yet end up 5th over all ? With computer chip timing, Landau’s “chip time” was good enough for 4th male, 5th overall and an age group first place at the “Silence on Ovarian Cancer” 5k.  The Triathlon Trial Lawyer missed the start by 30 seconds, and then ran as he would a duathlon competition, trying to catch as many of those in front of him as he could before the finish line !

Finish line celebration at Reston Town Center this morning

Meghan Ridgley of Reston, Virginia  repeated as the women’s winner in 18:32.  Even more impressive was the fact that she was also the overall winner !  Running just under 6 minutes per mile, Ms. Ridgley was chased by several hundred men all trying to be first across the line at the Reston Town Center fountain.  The Reston Potomac River Running Store star ran a great race and will likely be at the front of many summer races this season.

This race is more a victory celebration for survivors and memorial for loved ones who have succumbed.  Ovarian cancer can sneak up and quickly take a life.  At least two dozen women who have survived ran in the event.  Nearly one thousand participants were treated to a bright spring morning after some morning rain and heavy winds.

After DUathlon Nationals, TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau went to a spin class and learned of SportFit's FREE triathlon cycling seminar TODAY at Worldgate Sport & Health

As part of the 2010 SportFit TRIATHLON CLINIC SERIES Doug & Beth Baumgarten will once again hold a free clinic at the Worldgate Sport & Health Club in Herndon, Virginia.  If you are a first time (or novice) triathlete or an experienced multisport competitor, SPORTFIT LAB is a source for information on training, equipment, and race preparation.   Educational and bike safety seminars such as produced by the Baumgartens will hopefully increase the skills of participants in local triathlons, duathlons and bike races, and decrease the number of bike crashes, athletic injuries and sports accidents.  The husband and wife team has scheduled concise 90-minute sessions for athletes learn the latest science of triathlon training.

NEXT CLINIC: FRIDAY MAY 7th- 5:30-7:00 P.M. AT SPORTFIT LAB (Worldgate):

“THE BIKE IN TRIATHLON”

For more information, contact: SPORTFIT CONSULTING LLC of Northern Virginia

Email: db@sportfitconsulting.com   Phone: 703-657-7609   Mobile: 301-448-5499   Fax: 888-750-2869