The Athlete's Lawyer

Anita Freres, who trains with HPC and races Doug Landau in the indoor Compu Trainer classes in Herndon, ran 20:01 and was a top 5k finisher

There were so many runners, joggers, walkers and families that even organizers needed several starting lines to accommodate everyone ! The Anthem Great Pumpkin 5k was staged in conjunction with the Greater Reston Chamber of Commerce Oktoberfest which featured local restaurants, amusement rides, live entertainment and the Annual Pumpkin decorating contest!!

Reston Herndon injury lawyer Doug Landau was the runner up in his age group with a time of 20:24.  The ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. triathlon trial lawyer was 51st out of 1,393 finishers.

The Race beneficiary was the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute which provides the full spectrum of diagnostic and interventional cardiac services as well as electrophysiology, cardiac and thoracic surgery including minimally invasive surgery, heart and lung transplantation, and implantation of artificial heart devices. The Institute also offers prevention and risk reduction through classes and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation.

Going 3-for-3 in Virginia Triathlon Series sprint races this season enabled Herndon Reston injury lawyer Doug Landau to work on his speed for the USAT National Championships and qualify for the World Championships. Racing all over Virginia also enabled the Triathlon Trial Lawyer to visit with clients and counsel as well. While no other lawyer we know of does this, Landau makes public his trial and triathlon schedule so that clients, their friends and families can see him “in action” and talk to him in person about what is expected when it comes time for their “day in court.”  Upcoming Races, Cases and Places include:

• 10/13/2010 Alexandria (VA) Circuit Court, Defendants Motion to reduce the amount of a recent personal injury case verdict achieved by ABRAMS LANDAU on behalf of an innocent motor vehicle passenger in the morning, Virginia Workers Compensation hearing, job accident case hearing, Manassas midday, and Fairfax Bar and Medical Society Legislative Meeting, Falls Church (VA) in the evening (!)
• 10/15/2010 Virginia Workers Compensation hearing, job accident case hearing, Manassas
• 10/16/2010 Hagerstown (MD) Duathlon (running and bicycling !)
• 10/23/2010 Litchfield County (CT) Bike Tour with the Litchfield Hills Cycling Club during Lakeville (CT) High School volunteer weekend
• 10/25/2010 Social Security Administration, Washington, D.C., Disability Hearings
• 10/26/2010 Virginia Workers Compensation Commission, workplace accident hearing, Fairfax
• 10/30/2010 Either Leesburg or Fairfax (VA) 5km. road running race
• 11/2/2010 Virginia Workers Compensation Commission workplace injury hearing, Fairfax
• 11/4/2010 Virginia Workers Compensation hearing, job accident case hearing, Manassas
• 11/6-7/2010 University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables (FL), Reunion and co-counsel meetings
• 11/13/2010 Virginia Trial Lawyers Advanced Workers Compensation Seminar, Richmond (VA), Arthur Ashe Athletic Center Health Expo and Richmond Sportsbackers Marathon Festival 8km. road races
• 11/20/2010 Herndon (VA) Community Center Annual Turkey Trot 5km cross country race (in the afternoon, blocks from the office !)
• 11/25/2010 Ashenfelter 8K Classic, Glen Ridge (NJ), on Thanksgiving Day, the United States Track & Field-NJ Championship Road Race, benefiting the Glen Ridge Educational Foundation
• 12/9/2010 Virginia Workers Compensation Commission, workplace accident hearing, Fairfax in the morning, Washington, D.C. Trial Lawyers continuing education meeting in the evening in the District of Columbia

If you want to see Landau “in action” at these or other events, please e-mail or call the Landau Law Shop (703-796-9555) beforehand, as insurance companies settle on the eve of trial,  judges postpone trials and races get canceled due to weather or other unforeseen events, and your time is valuable.

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 »

After a mountain bike crash, the pain, bruising and “road rash” may take several days to peak.  Taking some time off and using ice, heat, massage and gentle stretching are all good ideas.  However, there are some tough multisport athletes who do not let a bicycle accident slow them down.

Despite road rash, cuts and other injuries, Traithlete John Brannock finished the Warrenton Sprint Triathlon with a smile

John Brannock, a former training partner and team mate, came in this weekend  on a business trip.  As is Doug Landau’s habit, the Herndon trial lawyer convinced his friend to join him for the first annual Warrenton Sprint Triathlon on Sunday.  Landau borrowed a bike, brought extra helmets and other safety gear, and loaded the mini van so that they could car pool to the pool.  The 300 yard indoor pool swim, 11.8 mile hilly bike ride and the 5 km. up and down run course would take less than 2 hours.  However, Brannock had been in a mountain bike accident on Friday, and his bruises were just coming into their full black and blue color !  The new Warrenton Aquatics Center (“WAC”)  was a clean, state of the art facility for this new Virginia Triathlon Series event in Fauquier County.  Located just passed the exit for “Old Town” Warrenton and the Court House area where the ABRAMS LANDAU Law firm has represented injured workers, car crash survivors and the families of brain injured victims, the bike course takes races on Route 29/211 and the run course is a very challenging two loops.  It was only after the race that Brannock showed Lawyer Landau his cuts, bruises and swelling !  Brannock raced on a borrowed bike, ran with the wrong shoes and was limited by his battered joints.  Nevertheless, despite these handicaps, and the 2 hours time differential coming from his home in Colorado, John had a strong showing and even won a prize for having come to Fauquier County from the mid-west !  Congratulations John Brannock !

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.