The Athlete's Lawyer

When a car turns and strikes a 50-year-old biker in Fairfax, it resonates with me, as I am now a half century and often ride on the County streets and trails of Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William.  The Fairfax Times reported that Crash Reconstruction detectives are seeking witnesses to a crash that occurred on Sunday, November 14th near the intersection of Fort Hunt Road and Belle Haven Road. At around 3 p.m., a bicyclist was headed eastbound on Belle Haven Road.  At the same time, a four-door 2005 Toyota Corolla attempted to turn left onto Fort Hunt from westbound Belle Haven. The bicyclist and the car crashed and the cyclist, age 50, was thrown from his bike.  He was medevaced to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Detectives ask anyone who may have witnessed this crash to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

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.

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

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.

Landau with a new friend and fellow triathlete (and her cracked aero helmet)

Even the best prepared athletes find that their safety and injury prevention equipment is not “race ready.”  It is a terrible feeling to train for months, travel hundreds of miles and to arrive at the race venue only to find that a vital piece of safety gear is broken or missing.  Doug Landau has had goggles break, wetsuits rip and bicycles flat at major sports competitions, so he knows what it feels like to be physical ready, but unable to compete.

Last Friday, after the Herndon Reston sports injury lawyer picked up his bike and triathlon racing gear from Velocity Pro bicycle shop, he saw that another competitor had a cracked bicycle helmet.  Her damaged “aero” bike helmet would never pass the USAT officials’ inspection and she would not be permitted to race with such unsafe equipment, as her head gear would not protect her skull from impact and potentially severe brain injury.

As he has done before, Landau offered her a helmet, since he often travels with spare safety equipment.  The West Coast Athlete graciously accepted lawyer Landau’s offer, as was back in the race.  The next day her sister returned the Virginia bike safety lawyer’s helmet, and they cheered the other bicycle racers participating in the US National Triathlon Championships.  If you have room in your bike travel case, car, luggage, etc., consider bringing extra safety equipment.  You too may be alb to help out a fellow athlete and prevent unnecessary injury or disability.

Bicycle safety advocate Doug Landau managed to avoid crashing and injury on the wet, slippery hairpin turns at the US National Championships

The hotter the conditions, the better Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau races.  However, after hot races Saturday, Sunday morning was cold, wet and raining.  The USAT Sprint Triathlon Championship race started with a half mile swim in the river by the University of Alabama campus.  Then, triathletes had to run up the steps to Manderson Landing and jump on their bikes in order to start cycling down Warner Highway.  After a short straightaway, there was the first hairpin turn, and then the long ride, hilly ride out in the rain.  The  Landau was ringing his bell as he passed the faster swimmers, and though constantly on the brakes, he kept his heart rate high.  At the second hairpin, the bicyclist in front of him crashed to the pavement, but avoided serious injury.  The bike racers crossed the river, had another tight turn, and then headed home.  Bicycle advocate attorney Landau managed a 22.7 mph average for the 12.4 mile course, and after a 47 second transition, ran in soaked shoes to try to catch others in his age group.

Doug Landau off the bike and headed into the second transition at the USAT Sprint Triathlon Championships

Because the temperature was only in the 60′s, Landau could not muster much better than a 7 minute-per-mile pace for the 5 km run, however, he threw in a strong kick to break 72 minutes.  Copping 10th in the age group meant that Landau automatically qualified to represent the USA at the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Beijing, China.  However, the ABRAMS LANDAU lawyer gave up his spot so that another racer could go and experience this international competition.  Due to his performance, Landau will again be a Sprint Triathlon All American and will likely compete at next year’s National Championships.  Upcoming races include the VTS Giant Acorn at Lake Anna in Spotsylvania Virginia next Sunday.  As always, Doug Landau welcomes clients, their families and friends who want to watch him “in action,” either at the races or trying cases. Call (703-796-9555) or e-mail the Landau Law Shop for details and his upcoming schedule of cases and races.

At the Olympic Distance National Championships, there were a number of crashes and “near misses” at the Bike Dismount zone (see biker in photo).  The course had been set up with bicyclists making a sharp right, downhill, and then being told to get off their bikes immediately before the red dismount line or be disqualified.  Because the cyclists could not see the red dismount line, many had to brake hard, going downhill out of their shoes, or even side-saddle !

Doug Landau saw several bikers fall to the ground, others lose equipment and a number of “near misses.”  When a racing cyclist drops a shoe, water bottle or other piece of equipment, they face penalties for “abandonment.”  So, running back to retrieve equipment not only cost National Championship triathletes precious time, but created additional safety concerns as they were going “against the flow of traffic” or standing still in the narrow bike dismount area.  Luckily, for the Sprint race the next day, where the bikers speeds could create even more danger and increase the likelihood of crashes and injuries, the race officials moved the red line up to the straight-away.  This action not only improved safety and bike race injury prevention, but probably improved times as well by removing dangerous congestion at the beginning of the second Transition area.

What did Doug Landau do upon arrival in Tuscaloosa Alabama for the 2010 USA Triathlon Championships ?  He checked out his bike, checked out the course and checked into his hotel.

Gina of VeloCity Pro Cycle re-assembled & did a safety check of Doug Landau's bike before the big race

VeloCity Bicycle Shop was where the Triathlon Trial Lawyer had his bike shipped from Herndon Virginia.  With air travel becoming more difficult for bikers, ground transport is an economical and safe alternative.  Landau’s Kestral race bike was smashed in transit returning from the National Championships several years ago, despite the crash injury lawyer’s having placed it in a hard case bike box that had been flown to international competitions !  The friendly VeloCity crew did an excellent job of unpacking, re-assembling and tuning up Landau’s Cervelo racing bike.  Their pre-race safety check and the care with which they looked over the many athletes’ bicycles made for a safer race and reduced bike crash injuries out on the course.