The Athlete's Lawyer

Sometimes, after running long distances in extremely cold conditions, Herndon Virginia sports injury lawyer Doug Landau, despite wearing layers, shows little brain activity !

When it gets dark earlier in the evening, and when glare and low sunsets compromise driver’s vision, it’s best to run off the roads or with a group.  Join a local running group in your area and enjoy your running.  Running off roads has its own set of special hazards.  For one thing, the uneven surfaces that I favor can cause twisted ankle in the low light conditions this time of year.  Also, the cold temperatures make soft cinder, mud and grass courses more unforgiving, leading to stress on the knees, IT bands and ankles.

If you run on streets, wear as much reflective and light colored gear as you can.  I understand that black clothing is “slenderizing,” but as a driver myself, I have a hard mew seeing runners in all black during “rush hour.”  If you can run during your lunch break, when the temperatures are higher and the lighting is better, try to do so.  It will keep your energy level high during the afternoon “doldrums,” and you won’t be so tired (or unmotivated) facing a workout after your commute home at the end of the day.  I tend to overdress in the winter with lots of layers, as I can always remove a light jacket, hat or open up some vents.  When there is snow on the ground, I like to wear high gators like mountain hikers wear.  It keeps snow and ice out of my running shoes and socks.  As long as my  extremities are warm (my hands, feet and head), then I can keep going for many miles.  But, as soon as I get wet and cold, I head for home,. hot soup and a bath.  Stay warm, run with friends, be safe and have fun this winter.

Virginia Cyclists heading West from Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun County biking toward Leesburg, Sterling and Lovettesville need the protection of sensible, enforceable traffic laws

In response to the Sterling Road and W&OD Trail bike crash post, Bruce Wright of the Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling.  Mr. Wright sagely notes, “Another lesson is that Virginia’s crosswalk law needs to be strengthened.  Currently motorists are only required to “yield” to pedestrians (and bicyclists) in a crosswalk.  Also, in some states motorists on multi-lane roads are required to “stop and remain stopped if a pedestrian (or bicyclist) is in their half of the roadway.”  For example, see New Jersey’s new crosswalk law.

Here in Virginia there have been several recent attempts to strengthen the law, and each year proposed changes get closer to passing.  Cyclists can follow this year’s legislative session at the Virginia Bike website.  Hopefully, through education, advocacy and cooperation, the laws protecting cyclists in the Commonwealth can be improved and enforced.

Fairfax attorney and athlete Cynthia Kaplan Revesman and Doug Landau of the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. are all sweat and smiles after completing the Town of Herndon Turkey Trot race

The annual Herndon Turkey Trot 5K had over 800 runners, joggers and walkers who got to experience the grass, pavement, golf cart path and dirt course.  The cross-country style race took place on the Herndon Centennial Golf Course, where earlier in the day the town’s annual Gobbler Scrambler Golf Tournament was held.  The overall male and female winners receive a turkey and all the trimmings.  The event collected canned food items for LINK.  This year LINK is hoping to feed 775 families for both the Thanksgiving and December holidays.

Used running shoes, smelly sneakers and used gym shoes were also collected for the  Nike Reuse a Shoe Program.   The shoes will be ground up into small pieces and later used to make basketball courts, track fields, playgrounds, floor tiles and other items.  Doug Landau of the Herndon law firm finished 38th out of 752 finishers.  The Triathlon Trial Lawyer then went down the W&OD Trail to the Landau Law Shop, located near the Caboose and 20 Mile Marker.  It was a lovely day for a race, warmer than usual, and many friends and neighbors turned out to support several wonderful causes and to cheer each other on to the finish line.

It is not often that one sees the Federal Government recall of high end, expensive bicycles.  However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 370 bicycles due to an unsteady frame.  According to Giant Bicycle Inc., the 2011 model Giant Anthem bicycles can potentially crack at the seat post, posing a fall risk for riders. There have been no reports of injuries as of yet, the company said.
According to the PR Newswire. Giant Bicycle dealers sold these bikes to athletes nationwide during August 2010 for between $2,200 and $3,500.  If you or someone you know has one of these bikes, contact the PCSC at once and make sure not to ride this unsafe sports product.

Herndon Virginia Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau took only 25 seconds per transition at the Hagerstown Duathlon, however, that is longer than many television commercials !

As a trial lawyer, Doug Landau has seen the attention spans of juries hearing injury case testimony in Court shrink. And while shortening his transition times to 25 seconds each at his last race in Hagerstown resulted in a first prize, even that length of time is too long according to many tv advertising agencies !

The importance of presenting the facts in an accidental injury case in short, easy to understand segments mirrors the shortening of presentations on tv, the internet and on PDAs. Television commercials are shrinking Read the rest of this entry »

Trampoline accidents and injuries can be catastrophic due to the impact and damage to the spinal cords and heads of victims young and old.  The issues of adequate spotters, padding and instruction are usually at the forefront of any investigation into a trampoline accident.  However, when the trampoline itself is defective, catastrophic injury can result regardless of the number of spotters, pads and training sessions.  Herndon Virginia sports injury lawyer Doug Landau of Abrams Landau, Ltd. examined the dangers of such equipment over 25 years ago in his article for the Practicing Law Institute, “…With the Greatest of Ease – Gymnastic Products Liability”  (Sports & Recreational Equipment, 1983).  One of the reasons Abrams Landau supports the distribution of free bicycle helmets for children is to put safe, non-defective sports equipment in play so no one gets hurt.

A California sporting goods company has recently announced a recall 160,000 sporting trampolines over the risk of the structures breaking.  Bravo Sports announced the recall in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission last week, saying “the trampolines, if improperly assembled, can result in weak support, posing the risk of the top rails or legs bending or breaking during normal use.”  The trampolines were imported from China 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.

A pedestrian was struck in a hit-and-run at the Dumfries commuter lot Tuesday, but the Prince William Police would not take a report.  And it was not the first time this week someone was hit at the Dumfries commuter parking lot on Virginia Route 234 !  After a 38-year-old man was struck and killed there Friday morning, now the news reports that a U.S. Air Force Airman who had just gotten off of an OmniRide commuter bus after a day of work at the Pentagon, was hit by a car at the lot about 6 p.m. Tuesday.

He was walking past the entrance of the lot that faces Va. 234 when a car pulled into the lot from the busy six-lane road and then hit him in the knee, injuring the Medial Collateral Ligament.   “The guy stopped and got out of the car and told me the sun was in his eyes and he couldn’t see me,” the victim said.  He did not believe that he was seriously injured at the time. But when he got home he started to feel pain in his knee, and his wife then convinced him to call police and report the crash.  She called for him only to find an officer would not Read the rest of this entry »

Maryland law defines aggressive driving as committing at the same time or during a continuous driving period, three or more of the following offenses:

• traffic signal violation
• improper passing
• failure to drive in a single or proper lane
• following too closely
• failure to stop/yield right of way
• exceeding the speed limit

To Report an Aggressive Driving Incident that Occurred in Maryland you have two options. You can Read the rest of this entry »

To Report an Aggressive Driving Incident that Occurred in the District of Columbia you have two options for reporting an aggressive driver to law enforcement. You can report an aggressive driver by dialing 311 and your call should be directed to the appropriate department. 311 is designed to help citizens report non-emergencies such as situations that are not serious, not life-threatening or not currently in progress. To report the incident after the fact, you must be able to identify the operator of the vehicle and provide a tag number, car make and model and be willing to serve as a witness.

NOTE: Each law enforcement agency has specific requirements and procedures for reporting traffic safety violations. It is up to each agency to respond to file reports.