The Athlete's Lawyer

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 »

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.

While many races start “in water,” there are times and courses where that is not possible.  In a race this summer where very low tides resulted in a several hundred meter sprint from the show to water deep enough to swim, several competitors suffered lacerations from shells below the surface.  One triathlete contacted ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. because he sustained a severe injury to the bottom of his foot with what appears to be permanent residual nerve damage.

Sports injury lawyer Doug Landau consulted with this fellow athlete.  Advising that a liability case would be difficult, and that the Release signed by all competitors would be used to show that the competitor assumed the risks of injury from such a sports event, Landau suggested that the injured athlete look into medical coverage that may be available for the event.  Just because an athlete is injured during competition does not mean that Read the rest of this entry »

The Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg Virginia bike crashes remind us to "preview" triathlon and bicycle race courses for strategy AND safety

The cycling crashes during the summer’s triathlon in Spotsylvania remind us of the importance of participants’ “previewing” the course before a race. Putting on a running, cycling or triathlon race requires planning, manpower and money. Yet even the most thorough race committee cannot foresee every potential pitfall or weather pattern. In the Fredericksburg area race, rain had caused some sand to wash out onto the bike course. Several cyclists were caused to crash due to the combination of speed, sand and bike control. The injuries these bikers sustained by wiping out on the pavement were devastating.

One of the cyclists contacted us at ABRAMS LANDAU because the crash caused severe brain injury. However, racers are expected to be familiar with the course, and going out, for the first time, full tilt during a race, is problematic. In sports, participants Read the rest of this entry »

Bike and car crashes at the Mount Vernon, W&OD, Four Mile Run and other local Trails suggest that area drivers are not looking out for Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia cyclists, runners, skaters and walkers

The recent  in Alexandria underscores the importance of drivers looking BOTH ways when crossing DC area cycling, skating and running paths.  Too often motorists are looking to see vehicular traffic approaching in whatever direction is closest to their car or truck.  Northern Virginia drivers tend to pull out to the street without regard for cyclists or joggers.  The “Share the Road” goal is observed more in the breach Read the rest of this entry »

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.

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.

Biker AND bicycle safety lawyer Doug Landau in Old Town Alexandria (VA)

Bike racks do not have to be ugly metal masses in our city centers.  Rather, the places to secure one’s bicycle can be artistic, and even be incorporated into the overall look of the town.  While arguing Pre- Trial motions at the Courthouse in Old Town Alexandria, bike crash injury lawyer Doug Landau noticed the bike racks along King Street in front of the Courthouse Plaza – the original home of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd.  Art and function in the same unit !  Landau salutes the Alexandria City planners, architects and artists.