TheAthletesLawyer

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 »

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/

Bike crashes are terrifying. Bike crashes that result in brain injury can be devastating. Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau has crashed, but luckily escaped with minor injuries compared to those suffering from brain injury and acute closed head trauma.

In Virginia, 347 riders ended up in the hospital after a crash in 2004, according to Bikesmart, Virginia. Bike Smart Virginia ! The average hospital stay was four days and the median cost nearly $13,000. Traumatic brain injuries accounted for 23 percent of those hospitalizations Read the rest of this entry »

Bike crash victims in Virginia face many obstacles when bringing a lawsuit for their injuries.  The Athletes Lawyer Doug Landau notes that where the injured cyclist VOLUNTARILY UNDERTOOK A KNOWN DANGER, she may not be able to recover ANY damages in a Virginia Court.  While other states COMPARE the fault of the injured bicyclist with that of the negligent motorist, truck driver or other vehicle operator, Virginia adheres to this affirmative defense as a complete bar to any and all recovery by the injured athlete.  That is why attorneys for defendants frequently assert the defense of “Assumption of the Risk” in Virginia lawsuits arising out of bike crash, auto accident and unsafe bike path claims.

Contributory negligence bars many claims brought in Virginia by injured cyclists, runners, swimmers and other athletes according to the Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau. However, this outdated and harsh defense does not apply as strictly to children injured in bike crashes, recreational activities and sports accidents.

The trial team at Abrams Landau, Ltd. has successfully represented children in bike crash, sports injury and dog attack cases throughout Virginia despite this defense.  According to The Athletes Lawyer Doug Landau, children, present a special case when applying Virginia’s contributory negligence rule because Read the rest of this entry »

Abrams Landau lawyer Doug Landau has represented many children who have been injured by negligent drivers. The Herndon Virginia Trial Lawyer notes that many bicycle accidents each year involve those under eighteen years of age. In an earlier blog, the 2006 Virginia Bicycle Crash statistics were cited; one of those 12 fatalities and 835 injuries was to a child under the age of five (http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/safety/crash_data/crash_facts/crash_facts_06.asp).

While an experienced road cyclist or triathlete may recognize the peculiar hazards presented to bicyclists, younger riders may not have the background to know how to anticipate danger and react according to the TriathlonTrialLawyer. Landau points out that children may lack experience riding on the road, may overreact, may be easily distracted and lack appreciation of dangers on the street.

Understanding that kids do not always appreciate the dangers of the road, experienced cyclist and triathlete Doug Landau counsels that drivers should treat a child riding a bike on the road just like a ball that rolls out onto the travel lanes: be hyper vigilant and expect the “unexpected.” Motorists, confronted by youthful cyclists, should use their “defensive driving” skills in order to avoid impact and injury.

In addition to the basic duties owed to bicyclists, motorists owe a heightened duty of care to children. As the Virginia Supreme Court noted in the case of Endicott v. Rich:

“Where the driver of a motor vehicle sees, or should see, a child in or near a street or highway he must exercise that degree of care not to injure [the child] that a person of ordinary prudence would exercise under similar circumstances, taking into consideration what is common knowledge- that the actions of children are erratic and unpredictable and that a child may act thoughtlessly and upon childish impulses.”

In other words, in determining the level of care that must be exercised, Herndon Virginia Trial Lawyer Doug Landau reminds us that motorists must take into account that “kids will be kids.”