TheAthletesLawyer

How biker friendly are the streets ?

In Washington, bikers have found the city streets of Seattle to be more dangerous than friendly.  Six bicyclists have filed a lawsuit against the city of Seattle over safety hazards concerning the South Lake Union Streetcar tracks.  All six of the plaintiffs have suffered serious injuries as a result of their bike tires becoming caught in the tracks.  This happened as a result of the width of the streetcar tracks being wider than the bicycle tires, which caused the tires to catch and the cyclists to crash.  As in the instance of the six plaintiffs, this can result in serious and sometimes catastrophic injuries.  The lawsuit claims that the city was aware of the potential dangers to bicyclists, but failed to post warning signs or add any additional safety measures.  The lawsuit is seeking general damages, compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and attorneys’ fees.  The lesson to be learned is that “biker friendly” does not always mean “biker safe.”

Biker and trial lawyer Doug Landau and cycling friends at a Loudoun County rest stop in Hamilton, during the Reston Century, where well-marked sinkholes and road defects made for a safe ride.

At ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., we recommend that if you come upon grooves, street car or trolley tracks that are parallel to your direction of travel, avoid getting too close, as narrow road bike wheels can get entrapped and stuck.   We have represented injured bikers who have been thrown from their bicycles due to roadway defects and dangerous street conditions.  Move to a different street, or even walk your bike rather than risking damaging your bike and injury to yourself.

Reston Century bike riders at the Hamilton rest stop

The 28th Annual Reston Century took place today, starting and finishing at the Reston Town Center Pavilion.  Over 1,200 bicycle riders enjoyed the excellent weather, Virginia’s rolling hills, snow cones, lunch and a great t-shirt this year.  Herndon sports injury lawyer Doug Landau also managed to eat a half dozen peanut butter & jelly sandwiches at the Loudoun bike rest stop, as he did not expect to do over 108 miles on his sprint triathlon racing bike !

Traveling with friends from Herndon, the Reston Bike Club and the WorldGators Masters team at Sport & Health, Worldgate, the Triathlon Trial Lawyer managed to finish in a little over 8 hours.  The Triathlon Trial Lawyer saw no accidents, injuries, crashes or other mishaps on the roads or W&OD Trail.  In fact, Loudoun County police were out to provide extra safety at otherwise dangerous road crossings and insections.  While this is longer than any athletic event Landau has ever signed up for or ever plans to do, the athletic Virginia Trial Lawyer believes that it is important to have strength and endurance in order to succeed in sometimes gruelling trials.  The Reston Bike Club puts on safe rides and other events, and Landau and his wife have joined in order to participate in their weeknight rides in Reston and Herndon.

A news report on NPR struck me and resonated as 6 teens drown in Louisiana, because they and the adults they were with could not swim.  The half-dozen teens were wading in the shallows of a Louisiana river.  Because none of the teenagers could swim, they drowned in front of their horrified families after falling into deep water. None of the nearby adults could swim.

A seventh teen, a 14-year-old boy, was rescued. News reports of the deaths in the Red River, in a popular recreational area where sand bars give way to 20-foot depths.  “They had one lifejacket here. As you can imagine, everybody started yelling for help,” said Caddo Parish sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Chadwick.  Shreveport Assistant Fire Chief Fred Sanders said he believed the victims, ages 13 to 18, included three brothers from one family and a sister and two brothers from another.  The teens had started playing in a familiar area but ended up at a spot in the river where the bottom fell suddenly and that’s where divers found the bodies, Sanders said.

“They were out here with some adults. But unfortunately, neither the children nor the adults could swim,” he said.  According to the news account, “Swimming skills can be scarce among African-Americans like the teens in this tragedy. A study commissioned by the sports governing body USA Swimming found 69 percent of black children had low or no swimming ability. Segregation kept blacks out of public and private pools for decades and the disparity continues because many poor and working class children have limited access to pools or instruction.”

The Times of Shreveport reported a large group of family and friends, including roughly 20 children, were out at the sandbar to barbecue and have a good time. They frequent the area and were familiar with the water.  “None of us could swim,” a friend told the newspaper. “They were yelling ‘help me, help me. Somebody please help me.’ It was nothing I could do but watch them drown one by one.”  The families were in a recreational area of the Red River that has sand bars, Sanders said. The park is a popular picnic and fishing area and some people do go wading.

This tragic NPR story underscores the importance of learning to swim, at any age, and indoctrinating children in water safety practices.  Water safety lawyer Doug Landau believes being able to swim should be a high school graduation requirement, as is the case with some colleges.  Basic first aid, survival skills and other actions necessary for emergency situations and helping others.  In one officials the only countries without compulsory military or governmental service, these minimal requirements would go a long way toward preventing unnecessary death and harms during times of flooding, storms, earthquake and attack.

While sports injury lawyer Doug Landau is frequently contacted to help an injured runner or biker, even in cases where the driver or other party is at fault, if there is no coverage or ability to pay for the harms caused, then it may not be a wise move to  go forward with a claim.  In other words, even if the ABRAMS LANDAU trial team wins the case, if no recovery can be made for the injured athlete, then it may not be a smart move to litigate the matter.  Recently, the question came up, if a runner is run over by biker, is there insurance coverage to pay for the injuries and losses sustained ?

While the automobile insurance probably would not pay, since the accident did not involve “a motor vehicle,” the defendant driver’s homeowner’s insurance policy may be a source of funds to pay for the damages.  And in a case where a bike crashes into another bike, the homeowners insurance may also be able to pay for the harms caused by the careless or negligent rider.  Absolutely.  Even renter’s liability insurance may be collectible in a case brought against a careless bike rider who causes serious personal injury to a runner, biker or other person on the road, bike path or sidewalk.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle, running or pedestrian accident or an insurance company is denying their injury claim, please e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) at once, as it is very important to investigate these cases as soon as possible after the crash.

USAT CEO Skip Gilbert and Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau at the USAT Duathlon natinal Championsips in Richmond, Virginia

As a Sprint Triathlon and Aquathon All American, as well as an Olympic Distance Honorable Mention award winner, Herndon multisport athlete and attorney Doug Landau feels that it is important to support the national governing body and the people who volunteer their time so that races can be conducted safely.  Over the years, Lawyer Landau has contributed to become a “gold member,” directed, sponsored and volunteered at athletic events.

USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon – one of the fastest growing sports in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon and winter triathlon in the United States. USAT sanctions 3,100 races and connects with more than 133,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USAT provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Championships, Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games.

Doug Landau after the finish of the Ovarian Cancer 5k

How can Doug Landau be 7th across the finish line and yet end up 5th over all ? With computer chip timing, Landau’s “chip time” was good enough for 4th male, 5th overall and an age group first place at the “Silence on Ovarian Cancer” 5k.  The Triathlon Trial Lawyer missed the start by 30 seconds, and then ran as he would a duathlon competition, trying to catch as many of those in front of him as he could before the finish line !

Finish line celebration at Reston Town Center this morning

Meghan Ridgley of Reston, Virginia  repeated as the women’s winner in 18:32.  Even more impressive was the fact that she was also the overall winner !  Running just under 6 minutes per mile, Ms. Ridgley was chased by several hundred men all trying to be first across the line at the Reston Town Center fountain.  The Reston Potomac River Running Store star ran a great race and will likely be at the front of many summer races this season.

This race is more a victory celebration for survivors and memorial for loved ones who have succumbed.  Ovarian cancer can sneak up and quickly take a life.  At least two dozen women who have survived ran in the event.  Nearly one thousand participants were treated to a bright spring morning after some morning rain and heavy winds.

After DUathlon Nationals, TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau went to a spin class and learned of SportFit's FREE triathlon cycling seminar TODAY at Worldgate Sport & Health

As part of the 2010 SportFit TRIATHLON CLINIC SERIES Doug & Beth Baumgarten will once again hold a free clinic at the Worldgate Sport & Health Club in Herndon, Virginia.  If you are a first time (or novice) triathlete or an experienced multisport competitor, SPORTFIT LAB is a source for information on training, equipment, and race preparation.   Educational and bike safety seminars such as produced by the Baumgartens will hopefully increase the skills of participants in local triathlons, duathlons and bike races, and decrease the number of bike crashes, athletic injuries and sports accidents.  The husband and wife team has scheduled concise 90-minute sessions for athletes learn the latest science of triathlon training.

NEXT CLINIC: FRIDAY MAY 7th- 5:30-7:00 P.M. AT SPORTFIT LAB (Worldgate):

“THE BIKE IN TRIATHLON”

For more information, contact: SPORTFIT CONSULTING LLC of Northern Virginia

Email: db@sportfitconsulting.com   Phone: 703-657-7609   Mobile: 301-448-5499   Fax: 888-750-2869

W&OD Trail patrol member visits Thursday Farmers Market in Herndon, just down the street from the Landau Law Shop

While visiting the Herndon Thursday morning Farmers Market down the street from our buildings, I spotted a cyclist in a yellow “Trail Patrol” outfit.  While I and others from the Landau Law Shop had helped to clean the trail and volunteered as course marshals for running and bicycling events on this wonderful path, I did not know that there were official “Trail Patrol” members, as well as the Herndon police, on 2 wheels !

Neal was kind enough to share with me “W&OD Trail Rules and Guidelines” on cards in English and Spanish, so that I could help educate Trail users and continue to promote rider, runner, skater, cross country skier, roller blader, skate boarder and walker safety on this Northern Virginia Regional Park path.  Because we represent injured athletes, victims of car crashes, disabled cyclists and battered bikers, at ABRAMS LANDAU we see the devastation unsafe driving and cycling can cause.  Following up last week’s “ringing the bell for safety,” I intend to have these cards at the Reston Bike Club ride sign up table tonight !   In addition to Trail clean up and sponsorship, the Friends of the W&OD have programs and personnel serving Northern Virginia.  You can reach the W&OD Trail office at WOD@NVRPA.org or (703-729-0596)

Doug Landau, WITH HIS SHOES, the day before his now infamous "bare footed effort" at the USAT National Duathlon Championships

After his bare foot 5k effort at the USAT Duathlon National Championships, Doug Landau got e-mails, calls and “shout outs” from other multisport athletes.  Some, who saw the Triathlon Trial Lawyer “in action” in Richmond, wrote him afterwards.  Others, seeing his bike split time, wondered if the Herndon, Reston and Dulles Airport region injury lawyer got lost on the National Duathlon Festival race course !   Even his out of state family members wondered if he had been in a bike crash, sustained a sports injury or broken his racing bicycle or helmet.

• One athlete wrote, “If you’re the Doug Landau who was totally kick-ass at yesterday’s Duathlon National Championships–by running barefoot at 7-minute pace after you flatted–I’d love to be your friend. I’ve been telling everybody about you. Hope you’re not any worse the wear and tear for your amazing effort.”
• Another sent this message, “Looks like you had good runs – but did something happen on the bike ?”
• Lastly, “You are my hero. Seeing your response to the bad luck of a flat is a big part of what multi-sport is to me. You get to learn what you’re made of–or, as in your case–you can see what others are made of, too. Hats off. I’m sure I’ll be thinking of you as I swim those icy waters of SF Bay. Never say die.  And just keep going, no matter what.  Thanks for the inspiration. Best of luck in your season.”

Many bikers commuting on "Bike to Work Day" will go right past the Herndon Reston Sterling area Landau Law Shop

It’s free, it’s fun and it’s physical !  “Bike to Work Day” is in 3 weeks.  Join thousands of area commuters and Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau for a celebration of bicycling as a clean, fun and healthy way to get to work!  There rate 35 regional pit stops, with SWAG, mechanics and riders of all levels.  Try a ride into the city with experienced commuter convoys and meet your fellow cyclists at Freedom Plaza.  Washington Area Bicyclist Association and Commuter Connections invite you to try bicycling to work as an alternative to solo driving. Help the Washington region become a better place to ride, a cleaner environment and a healthier community.  Bike to Work Day is a FREE event and open to all area commuters.  The ABRAMS LANDAU sports injury lawyer has participated a number of times, and Doug Landau enjoys the camaraderie, mechanical check ups and the freebies.  There will be a raffle, prizes, food, drink and more at all pit stops throughout the region.  Free T-shirts will available for the first 8,500 registrants who are in attendance at the pit stop they registered for in advance.  Registration for Bike to Work Day 2010 is now open!
Click on the pit stop link and register for the pit stop rally you plan to attend.  Raffles will be held at each pit stop for prizes including commuter bags, bike locks, and bicycles.