The Athlete's Lawyer

It is not often that one sees the Federal Government recall of high end, expensive bicycles.  However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 370 bicycles due to an unsteady frame.  According to Giant Bicycle Inc., the 2011 model Giant Anthem bicycles can potentially crack at the seat post, posing a fall risk for riders. There have been no reports of injuries as of yet, the company said.
According to the PR Newswire. Giant Bicycle dealers sold these bikes to athletes nationwide during August 2010 for between $2,200 and $3,500.  If you or someone you know has one of these bikes, contact the PCSC at once and make sure not to ride this unsafe sports product.

Team Hammer Down CrossFit (with Coach Todd Katz in the Blue shirt) successfully trains runners of all shapes and sizes

As part of the Herndon Virginia Turkey Trot 5k this year the Herndon Community Center race organizers are joining with Nike and their Reuse-A-Shoe Recycling Program. The run organizers are collecting used running shoes which will later be ground up into small pieces and used to make basketball courts, track fields, playgrounds, floor tiles, new shoes and apparel. Shoes will be collected at the Herndon Community Center until November 20th.  Injury lawyer Doug Landau of the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., cannot believe that someone would voluntarily take his smelly, worn running and athletic shoes ! If you have old rubber soled shoes that are no longer fit to wear, bring them to the Herndon Community Center on Ferndale and donate them to a worthy project (and give them a “second life” as a track or playground !).

Recycling rules from the Herndon staff to remember:

-We can only recycle athletic shoes (running shoes, sneakers,etc)
-We accept all brands of shoes
-No shoes containing metal
-No cleats or dress shoes
-No wet or damp shoes
-No sandals or flip-flops

Just down from the W&OD Trail Caboose, the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., the Municipal Center and the underground Court House is the race course for the Annual Turkey Trot 5k on the Town of Herndon Golf Course

The only time you can run on the grass of the Herndon Golf Course without being chased or shot at is next week.  The annual Herndon Turkey Trot 5km takes place November 21st at the Herndon Community Center (“HCC”), just a few hundred yards West on the W&OD Trail from the Landau Law Shop !  In addition to runners being able to wear their cross country spikes and stretch inside the heated HCC gym, there are the famous Turkey Awards.  In years past, I have brought kids to participate who won turkeys that weighed almost as much as they did by winning their age groups ! Read the rest of this entry »

Defective bicycle products, components and frames can cause permanent and fatal injuries to innocent cyclists

Having seen athletes injured by defective sports products, Herndon Reston injury lawyer Doug Landau believes that if generally accepted engineering principles can reduce or eliminate the risk of permanent injury or death, then it is incumbent upon a manufacturer and supplier to do so or face liability for the harms and losses their products cause consumers.  There are some basic concepts that apply to manufacturers of consumer products that are placed into the stream of commerce.

When products are placed into the stream of commerce, the products must be reasonably safe.  Companies have a responsibility to eliminate all foreseeable hazards from their products, if feasible.  If hazards cannot be eliminated without jeopardizing the utility of the product or making the product prohibitively expensive, then the hazards must be re-engineered, guarded or re-designed so as to avoid injury or death.  The guards must effectively prevent accidents and not introduce other types of dangers into the product.For those dangers that cannot be safely or economically re-designed, consumers must bewared of all dangers associated with the use of the sports products.  Because there are strict time limits for claims against sports product and equipment makers, if you or someone you know has been injured by a company’s deceptive or dangerous product, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) at once.

Herndon Reston Virginia spine and brain injury lawyer Doug Landau with a gift basket from a thankful neurologically disabled client

Injuries to the brain and spine do not necessarily mean the end of exercise and sports.  While brain injury can be a life changing event, advances in sports medicine and rehabilitation have enabled bike crash and car accident victims to remain more active than in the past.  It is important to remain upbeat, active and exercise.  As we used to say at ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) meetings, “If it isn’t physical, it isn’t therapy !”  Physical and occupational therapy is essential to maximum recovery after a spine or brain injury.  Nerve cells need stimulation for recovery and repair.  Reorganization may occur.  Synapses, that is the contacts between the nerve cells, may strengthen with stimulation and use.  Sports injury lawyer Doug Landau has several hemiparetic clients who are paralyzed on one side of their bodies.  To advance recovery from hemiparesis after stroke, one novel treatment, Constraint-Induced Movement therapy (“CIMT”), entails the temporary restraint of the functional limb while the patient is encouraged to carry out tasks with the paralyzed limb.  According to medical researchers, CIMT produces greater improvements in movement and functional use of impaired arms and hands.

The repair of broken connections between nerve cells is poorly understood.  Doctors understand that a sudden snap of the head pushes the brain so forcefully inside the skull that the long processes of the nerve cells are severed.  This effect is known as axonal shear.  Read the rest of this entry »

BionX motor assisted bike parked in front of Herndon's Great Harvest Bakery, just 100 yards from the W&OD Trail

Parked outside the Herndon Great Harvest Bakery was this tricked out bike.  Equipped with a Bion motor, Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau looked into this company and its products.  Bion designs, develops and manufactures electric propulsion systems for bicycles. The BionX name has become synonymous with Intelligent Mobility, Read the rest of this entry »

A lovely little bridge off of a dirt road in Loudoun County - perfect for hybrid, mountain, knobby and "fat tire" bikes !

Owning a mountain bike does not mean you have to go tearing down mountains, slaloming between trees, jumping roots and avoiding protruding rocks.  Bike injury lawyer Doug Landau uses his off road bike for commuting to work in good weather, pulling buggers, “trail-a-bikes” and touring in the off season.  Mrs. Landau likes her mountain bike for training rides as it enables her to sit upright, without the strain on her lumbar spine, and to be able to see further down the road.  The Landau’s mountain bikes are also less likely to get flats, are easier to adjust to other riders, and can carry heavy panniers and gear.  Other bikers like the safety and stability of a mountain bike.  The Abrams Landau bike crash lawyer also likes the “Granny Gear” when ascending steep inclines in Loudoun County.  There are several Reston and Herndon area cyclists who ride with the Reston Bike Club on hybrid and mountain bikes, and they keep up, traverse rough road and even hop the curb now and then !  Landau puts his Speedplay peddles on his off road bike so that he can use his biking shoes to keep up and has the bell for safety on his handlebars when approaching cyclists, runners and other recreational users of the W&OD and other Northern Virginia Trails, bike paths and roads.

The "Pink Bank" is the home of HPC - Herndon's Compu Trainer Bike facility where Susan Hefler trains current and future cycling and triathlon champions

The facts speak for themselves.  With top finishes in the bike portion of triathlons this season it’s official, Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau is now a better cyclist than he is a runner !  The Herndon Reston sports injury lawyer owes this improvement on two wheels to the intense winter training sessions at HPC in Herndon.  Susan Hefler is a top trainer of teen, elite and masters bicycle racers, and trying to stay with them is what kept Landau cycling hard all winter long.

Classes are starting, and HPC has acquired even more advanced VO2 max testing equipment.  So stop by our neighbor’s facility and check out Compu Trainer biking at the pink bank next to Great Harvest Bakery (home of the wonderful healthy free samples) !  Coach Hefler reports that over 100 cyclists have already signed up for the Fall training session.  To register, CLICK HERE

Maryland law defines aggressive driving as committing at the same time or during a continuous driving period, three or more of the following offenses:

• traffic signal violation
• improper passing
• failure to drive in a single or proper lane
• following too closely
• failure to stop/yield right of way
• exceeding the speed limit

To Report an Aggressive Driving Incident that Occurred in Maryland you have two options. You can Read the rest of this entry »

With snakes and other animals still on the popular paths and trails of the DC Metropolitan area, cyclists at ABRAMS LANDAU were saddened to learn of the fatal crash of a Vienna Virginia bicyclist near Urbana, Maryland.  According to a witness, the Vienna man was traveling up to 30 mph downhill, and swerved to avoid groundhog when he lost control and crashed.  According to the Fairfax Times report, he was transported via helicopter to the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

The animal’s presence in the roadway, the biker’s speed and the slope may have all contributed to this fatal crash.  At the Landau Law Shop, we have seen instances where it takes longer for bikers and motorists to stop when they are going downhill.  This tragic case reminds us of the importance of watching for dogs, cats, squirrels and other animals that may “dart out” into  the road without warning.  Bottom line: Keep your head up, use all your senses (so no MP3s or cell phones), and ride defensively.