TheAthletesLawyer

USAT CEO Skip Gilbert and Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau at the USAT Duathlon natinal Championsips in Richmond, Virginia

As a Sprint Triathlon and Aquathon All American, as well as an Olympic Distance Honorable Mention award winner, Herndon multisport athlete and attorney Doug Landau feels that it is important to support the national governing body and the people who volunteer their time so that races can be conducted safely.  Over the years, Lawyer Landau has contributed to become a “gold member,” directed, sponsored and volunteered at athletic events.

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon – one of the fastest growing sports in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 3,100 races and connects with more than 133,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games.

ABRAMS LANDAU Trial lawyer Doug Landau has helped clients injured by potholes and other roadway defects.  One case in the District of Columbia involved a pothole that swallowed the ABRAMS LANDAU client’s front wheel while driving under L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C.  Another client of cyclist lawyer Doug Landau was injured when his bicycle tire went into a hole on the Virginia bike path that was filled with water so it was impossible to see the dangerous condition.  Recently brought to the Herndon Reston injury lawyer’s attention was a lawsuit over a pot hole accident that settled in Missouri.

According to the Kansas Star, Jackson County Missouri, has agreed to a $270,000 settlement in a lawsuit filed by a cyclist who crashed his bike in a pot hole last summer. The plaintiff in this personal injury lawsuit was riding his motorcycle in east Jackson County when he pot hole ankle-deep and as wide as his arms, his lawsuit claims, suffering serious injuries. The suit alleges the county was previous aware of the dangerous pot hole but had done nothing to fix it.  Where there is a dangerous condition and sufficient “notice” such that the landowner knew or should have known about it and fixed, warned or taken other action to prevent foreseeable injuries, the law may affix liability and hold such a defendant liable for all of the Plaintiff’s reasonable and related losses.

If you have been harmed by the negligence or fault of a landowner, occupier, maintenance company or management group, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555).

The scene outside my neighborhood this morning after the rush hour bike crash just East of the Fairfax County Parkway, Virginia Route 7100 on West Ox Road

As I left my Oak Hill neighborhood this morning, I was immediately stopped because a biker had apparently been hit by a car and badly injured at West Ox Road and Ashburton in the Herndon – Oakton Woods area of Fairfax County.  Emergency Medical responders and Fire and Rescue teams were dispatched quickly.

EMTs assess, secure and prepare to transport thte injured biker this morning after an apparent crash at West Ox Road and Ashburton, in Oak Hill, Virginia

The EMTs and ambulance came to the scene of this rush hour bike crash and immediately set about to assess and then treat the injured athlete.  This car and bicycle crash occurred between Oak Farms Drive and the Fairfax County Parkway (Route 7100), about exits North of Fair Oaks Hospital.  The injured cyclist was being loaded onto a stretcher and had been placed in a neck brace to protect his neck from spinal cord damage as we were allowed to pass.  It brought home the fact that bike crashes can happen around the corner as well as far away on the trails, tours and race courses.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the injured cyclist and his family, and we hope that he gets appropriate medical care and recovers quickly.

If you or someone you know has been injured as the result of a bike crash, car accident or sports injury, please contact us by e-mail at ABRAMS LANDAU or call (703)-796-9555.

Bike crash and head injury lawyer Doug Landau always wears his helmet when riding his bicycle outdoors

Sports and recreational injury lawyer Doug Landau is proud to announce that the DC Trial Lawyers Foundation is giving away 200 bike helmets to D.C. kids on Thursday, June 10, 2010.  The event will take place at the Anne Beers Elementary School located at 3600 Alabama Ave SE Washington DC.  The hours are from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  Stop by any time!  This event was rescheduled from an earlier date in June.  The DC Trial Lawyers Foundation is the charitable arm of the DC Trial Lawyers Association.

Attending the monthly educational meetings of the Trial Lawyers of DC enables Herndon Reston and Leesburg injury lawyer Doug Landau to keep abreast of the latest developments in personal injury law in the District of Columbia.  Landau is an active member of the DC and Virginia Trial Lawyers Associations in order to share notes and strategies with other experienced trial lawyers in the DC Metropolitan area.  Landau, who has represented injured bikers, children and athletes, also belongs to, teaches and writes for the American Association for Justice (”AAJ”), the national trial lawyer association for many of the same reasons.

Landau gets a prize at Broadlands, but no PR

Thinking he had ripped a new PR at today’s Sprint Triathlon, Broadlands bike injury lawyer Doug Landau went through the first loop in 15 minutes and cruised into the transition area at almost exactly 30 minutes.  However, the course was slightly shorter than the advertised 12 miles, so instead of 24 MPH average bike speed, the Herndon and Loudoun lawyer cycled 22.8 MPH.  Nevertheless, the Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax bike crash injury lawyer finished in the top 10 out of some 270 multipart racers.  Starting in the 60th position, Landau’s goggles failed immediately during the well run 400 Meter outdoor pool swim.  The triathletes divided into “odds” and “evens” and started every 15 seconds according to their swim seed time.  Landau predicted 7:40 and managed 8:08.  The distance was a 400 meter “snake swim.”  In other words, swimmers moved into the next lane after each lap.  So, for those who swim in 25 yard pools, this was akin to almost 19 lengths.

College roommates team up to "tri" the Broadlands Sprint Triathlon in Loudoun County, Virginia

The Infinitive Broadlands Sprint Triathlon ends with a 5k run.  In the August running of the “Dog Days of Summer” triathlon along the same course, no one broke 20 minutes.  The run is an out & back through Broadlands trails, tunnels and sidewalks. There were water aid stations that caused Landau’s Newton racing flats to lose their sockliner !  The thin “floor” of the shoes quickly turned into “sponges,’ soaking up sweat and water thrown on his head.  But, using clear iodine and running barefoot helped the hardened triathlete – trial lawyer so that he had no blisters after the race.  In fact, Landau went for a swim to “cool down” after the race and cheering on other finishers, including Alexandria General District Court Judge !  “Oyez, Oyez, Order on the Course !”

Doug Landau checking out the transition area at the Broadlands Triathlon in Loudoun County, Virginia

Tomorrow is the Infinitive Sprint Triathlon in Loudoun County, Virginia.  This triathlon, which starts at Broadlands Outdoor Pool off of Village Drive in Broadlands Virginia with a pool swim, then heads out to Claiborne Parkway for the bike and on the Broadlands trails for the run. This is a great first timers event and a fun challenging course for those with experience.  Bike injury lawyer Doug Landau has done other races managed by Tri Performance at South Riding, Worldgate, Herndon and Loudoun County, and Brian and Alissa Crow do a marvelous job of creating and pulling off fun, safe fitness events.

Could this be the "Crow-mobile" for Coach Crow ?

Usually triathletes and endurance athletes take a day or two off before a competition.  Many long distance athletes “taper” before “the big event.”  However, for races under 90 minutes, triathlon trial lawyer Doug Landau will often train right up to and even after the race.  Swimming today helps “flush out” the waste byproducts from a hard week of work and training, and swimming after the race will reduce the post-competition soreness that often hinders older athletes’ resumption of training.  As an award-winning masters triathlete and road runner, Landau is careful not to “overdo it” in the days leading up to a race.  But, a little non- impact exercise the day before a short sprint race should not impair performance  or recuperation or lead to excessive post-race soreness.

TriPerformance Coach Crow at the Inifinitive Broadlands Triathlon packet pick up & bike safety inspection

Race Director and TriPerformance Coach Brian Crow runs a smooth race, which starts with a well-staffed pre race packet pick up.  Pre-Race Packet pick up, bicycle and helmet safety checks, and course tours and pre-race meetings all help triathletes and bikers avoid injury and crashes.  Broadlands, South Riding and Warrenton Sprint Triathlon prizewinner and cyclist Doug Landau of the ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. law firm in Herndon Virginia notes that there is a clear advantage to knowing the course.  “I can ride faster AND more safely on a course where I know the turns, hills, road conditions and transition area.  In over 25 years of multi-sport racing, I have seen too many cyclists and triathletes get hurt when they did not know when to turn, shift gears or slow down.”

A bike crash and still 3rd place overall !

[N.B. In the Broadlands Sprint Triathlon, a 16-year-old crashed, but managed to finish in 3rd place (see photo, left); another racer did an extra lap on the 2 loop course; and, another cyclist went off the course and may have received a penalty.]

Sunday’s race raises funds for the Infinitive Foundation, which was established to support programs focused on health and enhancing family life. Proceeds from the Infinitive Race Series will support local and US Military families. Infinitive Infinitive is a Northern Virginia based management consultancy that delivers Change Engineering expertise. Click for more information about Infinitive.

"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