TheAthletesLawyer

Looking over his “post mortem notes” after the Reston Sprint Triathlon Sunday, Doug Landau noted several key mistakes that cost him 3-5 minutes.

1. Prepare as much as possible the night before. (Landau had not secured his Nimble race wheels to his bike ahead of time, and the loose screws resulted in rubbing against the frame, wearing out the tires and using extra effort to get up the hills. The wheel rubbing also forced the experienced racer off the bike TWICE to make repairs.

2. Freeze an inch or two of liquid in the water bottle if it will be a hot day. HOWEVER, take your straw out first. Landau blew it again. He could not get any liquid Cytomax during 80% of the ride because his straw was frozen. Then, in pulling on it to shake the ice out, he broke the aero bottle straw. He also did not have a second bottle because it was such a short race ! There was plenty left in the bottle after the race.

3. Start you heart rate monitor, stop watch, cyclometer, time window swim chronograph and other electronics BEFORE you leave the wall to swim. Stopping in the pool will result in your getting passed, cussed at, out of synch and smacked. Starting these things a few seconds before the Race Officials yell “GO !” will now corrupt your data.

Despite these mistakes, Landau swam the 400 meters in 8:07, for 9th place in the 45-49 age category. The Herndon brain injury lawyer followed that less-than-stellar swim with the fastest transition time (0:55) of the group and a decent 5th place bike ride in 31:48 (despite 2 dismounts for mechanical problems). The next transition was a little slow, but good enough for 3rd at 1:05, which, followed by the 4th fastest run in the bracket (22:43 for a hilly 5km.) resulted in an overall time of 1:04:36 and another age group prize.

If you have been in a bike crash or struck by a car while walking in a crosswalk or by a truck while running along the road, be sensible about your situation. Short term “heroics” or machismo can lead to long-term suffering. If you’re down, lie still until you or a qualified person can make sure that you are not seriously hurt. Beyond what movement you may need to make certain that you are not bleeding seriously, or that your bones or joints are not broken or dislocated, try not to move for a few minutes. Don’t panic, and if you are lying in a place where you are not in danger if you stay there, take a few minutes to relax, think and collect yourself. Read the rest of this entry »

Clients coming to ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. have noticed the signs for the “Historic Downtown District.”  Some have even gone to the train depot to visit the museum and see evidence of the LandauLawShop’s existence for over 120 years !  Others have walked around the little town center and taken pictures at the caboose, old Town Hall and the general store after visiting with injury lawyer Doug Landau and the ABRAMS LANDAU trial team.  Some clients and their families have gone to Thursday or Friday evening concerts, the summer morning farmers market and other regularly scheduled and special events on the Town Green or in the square behind the old train stop.  The “Friday Night Live” concerts are especially popular, as food and drink are available for purchase.  Furthermore, Doug Landau notes that the back of the new Municipal Center serve as a sound stage, where people can dance right in front of the band on the grass !   You can bring beach chairs, blankets and a picnic that the whole family can enjoy.  If you are able to do so, look around next time you are in town.  You will see that there is a lot more to Herndon than you might think.

Bike crashes can result in facial injuries, dental care and brain injury. There are reported cases of triathletes being struck by cars, tripping and falling entering/exiting the transition areas and getting hit during the swim, all resulting in head injury and dental trauma. After medical concerns are addressed, the extent of the dental injury should be evaluated. A trained dental expert will know what to look for and what kind of testing to administer. Any dental injury has the potential of being serious, and complications may arise weeks or years after the incident. TheAthletesLawyer has seen cases where treatment has been delayed because of an injured athlete’s head trauma, confusion, dizziness, andrenaline and high pain threshold. In the case of dental avulsions and teeth being knocked out, the tooth should be immediately Read the rest of this entry »

Believe it or not, sports competition, even in non-contact endurance sports, can result in dental injury according to TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau. Having been in bike crashes and had head injuries himself, this Virginia trial lawyer knows the importance of prompt medical attention after an accident when competing or training.

Shown here are Dr. Gary Greenspan, an excellent Fair Oaks area dentist, basketball player (and Dodger fantasy camp alum !) and Herndon injury lawyer Doug Landau. While Landau has been lucky in avoiding serious head, brain and dental injury, he has represented clients with significant dental work, disfigurement, plastic surgery, tooth loss, concussions and permanent brain damage from accidents. The severity of a dental injury (fractured, displaced, chipped or avulsed tooth) may not be immediately apparent. Often dental injuries are associated with other head and neck injuries from bike crashes and falls, such as fractured facial bones, concussions, abrasions, bruises, soft tissue lacerations with bleeding, and jaw-joint problems. Thus, the injured athlete should be assessed immediately, if not sooner, for medical complications, including his/her ability to spontaneously maintain an airway, poor control of bleeding, shock, broken bones, and neurological impairment. Delay often complicates later medical and dental treatment.

The VASA ride, sponsored by the Swedish Embassy was well attended by athletes young and old, new and experienced.  Several neighbors of the Landau Law Shop complete the rides of varying distances, and some triathletes did over 50 miles !  TheAthletesLawyer Doug Landau had visions of frostbite near the end of the journey as he rode his bike through Georgetown.  However, there was a hot, sweet treat waiting for all participants at the House of Sweden.
All rides finished with the Vasa Race’s famed blueberry soup  courtesy of Ekströms, part of Procordia Food AB and the Swedish Embassy.  Here is Doug Landau sampling some of this rare treat.  It definitely helped The Athletes Lawyer “thaw out” after pedalling for close to 4 hours !  The House of Sweden is located at 2900 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20007,  along the Georgetown waterfront at the  terminus of the Rock Creek Trail.  It is also accessible from the Mt. Vernon Trail, Martha Custis Trail and Capital Crescent Trail.

Shown here getting ready to depart for the full distance “VASA” ride sponsored by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (”WABA”) is Dr. Allen Delaney, M.D. of Commonwealth Orthopedics and, and with his wife (and Physical Therapist) Mary Delaney, “Rehab to Racing” multi-sport coaching services.  This veteran triathlete has bicycled throughout the world, and is shown in his cold weather gear with the Potomac River in the background. TheAthletesLawyer Doug Landau wore not only his booties, mittens over his gloves and many layers of shirts, but also a balclava under his helmut and an emergency “hot pack” in his hip bag. TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau was pleased to see that at the Vasa Ride helmets were mandatory.  If it snowed, you were advised to bring your skis!

Doug Landau and several other hardy cyclists braved the cold and wind to join WABA and the Embassy of Sweden in celebrating Sweden’s famed ski race and festival “Vasaloppet” by biking up into Maryland after following some of the C&O Canal West out of the Nation’s Capitol.
This fun, free ride had options for riders of all abilities.  Shown here before the bicycle tour began, are the Virginia bike riders who TheAthletesLawyer bamboozled into carpooling and joining him on this frigid two-wheeled adventure !   Other fun, free (or not) events will be posted.  Stay tuned !

Every so often, multisport athlete and trial lawyer Doug Landau will test himself in a track meet, like the Eastern Masters Regionals held today in Maryland by FedEx Field. There are no excuses, and the distances and times are precise. Having run at The Hotchkiss School, Boston University and the University of Miami in Florida, Doug Landau has experience running competitively in the challenging arena known as “Track & Field.” TheAthletesLawyer finds that track meets such as this give him objective data as to his speed, conditioning and strength. Landau ran the 3,000 meter and mile run at the Prince Georges Sports & Learning Complex indoor track. This wonderful facility is the venue for next year’s United States Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships. As a long time member of USA Track & Field, Landau hopes to qualify, and compete in yet another Championship event. The injured athletes’ lawyer competed in 3 National Championships last year.

After a lackluster 3,000, in which he ran like a “fish out of water,” Landau ran the mile after about a 30 minute rest. In the second event, he met his goal of breaking 6 minutes, but barely ! The Abrams Landau trial attorney’s 5:57 was not much better than his 5:59 opening mile in the 3,000, where he ran the nearly 2 miles in 11:47. The Herndon injury lawyer believes he can get a bit faster before the outdoor track and triathlon seasons, and he needs to be a great deal faster if he is to be competitive at the Championship races in Richmond. In addition to teaching new judges and meeting clients in Richmond in April, Doug Landau is registered to race in the United States 10km. Road Running Championship on April 6th and the United States Duathlon Age Group Championship April 27th, both of which are in Richmond, Virginia. The Duathlon race starts with a 10 km. (6.2 mile) run, followed by a 40 km. (24.8 mile) bike ride over to Riverside Park, and concludes with a 5 km. (3.1 mile) run. And they call this “short course !”

Local Plastic Surgery expert Dr. Byron Poindexter of the Reston, Virginia Austin-Weston Center has helped accident victims who have scarring and deformity as the result of crashes, burns and other trauma. The Center has free consultations as well as free seminars.

Consider attending a free seminar on Virginia plastic surgery to learn about the latest procedures and techniques. The next seminar, “Curious About Plastic Surery” is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12th, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and will be presented by Dr. Poindexter. You will have an opportunity to speak with a Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon and patients who have had cosmetic surgery in Virginia. For more information go to Austin-Weston Center or contact the Austin-Weston Center for Cosmetic Surgery in Virginia, 1825 Samuel Morse Drive, Reston, Virginia 20190 PHONE: 703.893.6168 FAX: 703.790.3444 www.austin-weston.com/