The Stroke Association wants people to know that strokes are the #3 killer in this country, yet many people don’t even know what they are. They don’t know that more of the brain can be saved if a stroke is detected and treatment is received immediately. Strokes begin when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked or bursts. Blow flow is cut off. Tissue is starved for oxygen, and parts of the brain die. If not treated quickly, abilities and productive life can be lost. Learn to spot the warning signs of a stroke or call 1-888-4-STROKE, and act quickly. Your brain is your most prized possession. Guard it with your life.

In the area of this bike crash there are two lanes of eastbound traffic, then the bike lane, then a parking lane to the right. The parking lane was filled with parked cars so the cyclist was blocked to the right, and traffic was moving on the left. Suddenly, and without any warning, the BMW swerved from the traffic lane, across the bike lane, trying to get into a set of two open parking spots (So as to drive through the rear of the two and park in the forward one, without having to back up into a spot).

The BMW cut the biker off and flipped the cyclist over his handlebars.  Striking the cement, the cyclist had injuries to his face, hands, elbows and leg.  Eye witnesses immediately called the police and an ambulance.  The BMW driver was ticketed at the scene, but as many drivers well know, this does not mean that he will be found guilty, convicted or made to pay any restitution.  The biker has lacerations on his face, pain and difficulty seeing.  In addition, his bicycle sustained damage that will form the basis of a property damage claim.  Everyone at ABRAMS LANDAU wishes the innocent cyclist a speedy recovery.  We hope that he is able to get back “in the saddle” soon and resume his enjoyable cycling.  If you, or someone you know, has been injured while riding their bike, please call us or e-mail us at once.  Experienced bicycle crash lawyer Dog Landau notes that “after the Traffic Court trials, it is very hard to properly investigate and prepare these claims for successful resolution.”

Orbital blowout fractures are cracks or breaks in the facial bones surrounding the “socket” that houses the eyeball. Orbital fractures of the facial ones surrounding the eye can result from such blunt trauma as getting hit by an ice hockey stick, puck or opponent’s elbow. Blows to the face and head can result in concussion, loss of consciousness and orbital fractures and eye injury. Wearing face masks has dramatically reduced the risk of eye injuries, including orbital lacerations and facial fractures. In players wearing partial or no protection, eye trauma resulting from a stick, puck, or elbow can cause hyphema, orbit fracture, retinal detachment, or globe rupture. According to The Journal of Musculoskeletal Medicine, no blinding eye injury has ever been reported in a hockey player wearing full facial protection.

Total head and face protection is essential for any collision sport. In ice hockey, the risk of eye injury is not so much from collision as from a flying puck. The use of face masks in amateur ice hockey in Canada led to a 66 percent reduction in eye injuries, as reported in the Textbook of Orthpaedics, Trauma & Sports Medicine

Bottom line: players should wear head and face protection in ice hockey games and practices in order to prevent eye, face and head injury.

"Mr. Incredible" (a.k.a. "Super Lawyer" Doug Landau) and exceptionally fit international W&OD Trail skate tourists in Herndon

International skate tourists rolling over the W&OD Trail from Maryland and D.C. and a “Super Hero” “Super Lawyer” were both spotted in downtown Herndon at Great Harvest. A couple from Denmark have been incredibly skating the famous trail, covering more miles than most cyclists ! And Herndon injury and disability lawyer Doug Landau, who was once again named to the region’s list of “Super Lawyers,” celebrated Halloween as “Mr. Incredible.” Mrs. Landau made his costume (as well as her “Mrs. Incredible” outfit for their daughter’s high school’s annual costume parade !). The staff at ABRAMS LANDAU would not let “the big guy” get out of “uniform,” so he spent the day visiting with clients, much to the delight of their children.

In addition to this being a “causal dress day,” the staff was treated to chair massages by client Dee Schools, who has her own wonderful practice and comes to offices and private homes in order to make people (and “Super heroes”) feel better and return to work reinvigorated and relaxed. We know that everyone at ABRAMS LANDAU enjoyed her skills and spirit.

Bicycle safety and injury advocate Doug Landau making sure a cyclist is properly sitting on his stationary bike at the Herndon Bike to Work festival

Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling (”FABB”) met with City of Fairfax Police Chief and Sargent Pam Nevlud to provide comments on the city’s new bicycle safety website. FABB asked that the website put less stress on the dangers of cycling and more on the many positive aspects of cycling. Bicycling is no more dangerous than many other common activities. In fact, the health benefits of cycling outweigh the dangers. FABB discussed the importance of bicycle education at all levels and plans to co-sponsor a bike rodeo with the police in the spring.

FABB members manned a booth near my own during the annual “Bike 2 work” festival in Herndon.  The FABB explained its positions on various issues and is genuinely concerned about  bike commuting, touring and biker safety.  The Bike to Work day also featured free information about cycling safety, biker injury and prevention of bicycle and car crashes.  For other news and articles of interest, visit the FABB blog.

pierre & doug

Opening November 9th HPC Computrainer classes in “downtown” Herndon.

HPC’s Pierre Pelletier and Susan Hefler will be offering the VO2 testing, Bike fitting, Bodywork, and the Computrainer classes. Once HPC (”Hefler Performance Training“) gets up and rolling, they will also offer Time Trial Competition, strength and conditioning classes, and yoga.  They are making the pink bank building next to Great Harvest Bakery  are making the space multi functional.  The address is 783 Station Street, Herndon, and registration is now open at: www.bikereg.com.

For those that know the W & OD bike path, it is right off the bike path after you cross Elden Street. That next crossing is Station Street (heading west) and you would make a right off of the bike path @ Station Street, about one hundred yards from the Landau Law Shop.  The photo was taken today as Herndon bike injury lawyer Doug Landau finally met Pierre as he was walking back from the last Herndon Farmers Market of the year.

Pierre will be doing bodywork and bike fitting, and they will have the spin scan up and running for pedal stroke analysis.  There will also be VO2 testing and the coaching work.  Babes on Bikes classes/ Ladies only have been set up for Monday and Friday @ 11AM. HPC is opening early bird classes for the people who prefer working out as a start to their day.   In the new space they will have between 12-14 Computrainers and as such will many times break classes into 2.

Hefler Performance Coaching (”HPC”) has 2 completely separate systems going. So this should make things much better to accomodate all ability levels. Remember the indoor training is all about training oneself. Ms. Hefler points out, “I know it gets competitive in the classes, but you all really wanna focus on your own goals. I will try and make this happen for as many people as possible, and have different level classes available at most all sessions. Of course if you all want to hammer, we can all go advanced.

Please send me thoughts. We really built this for the athletes’ and as such, ideas are always welcome. We want to make this a sensational training center for ALL.

I look forward to CRANKIN the Tunes!!!!”

Cheers, Susan Hefler
571.212.2895
shcoaching@comcast.net

Attorneys for the plaintiff argue that aluminum bats allow hitters to strike the ball with such force it creates significant danger for other players. Plaintiff’s counsel told the jury, “The eyewitnesses watching the game will tell you they couldn’t see the ball until it ricocheted off his head,” attorneys argue the case is not a freak accident. Baseballs hit with aluminum bats, such as the one used in that American Legion game, only give pitchers milliseconds to respond in a defensive stance. The average is about 400 milliseconds, according to plaintiff’s counsel. They contended the pitcher who received the fatal injuries only had about 376 milliseconds response time.

Prosecuting drunk and stoned drivers in both criminal and civil courts, injured victims' lawyer Doug Landau was interested in the "Alco-Buddy" breathalizer machine found in a restaurant near the Virginia State Capitol.

This one’s obvious. But as an injury lawyer who sees firsthand the devastating effects of drunk driving car crashes, bike wrecks and truck accidents, I was pleased to see a device at a Richmond restaurant recently. The “Alco-Buddy ” is an alcohol breathalyzer vending machine, installed in establishments that serve alcohol.

Drunk driving is a real and present danger that affects everyone. All too often people leave establishments after drinking “just a few drinks” and falsely believe that they are safe to drive when they are, in fact, legally intoxicated. Alco-Buddy provides patrons with access to an ALCOHOL BREATHALYZER TEST, allowing them to gauge their own B.A.C. (blood alcohol content) before they ever get behind the wheel.

Advantages of a “Breathalyzer Machine”:

* Is an intelligent, simple and discreet way to check your B.A.C. (blood alcohol content)
before venturing out on the roads.
* May reduce the number of impaired or intoxicated people driving.
* Assists educate patrons to moderate and appropriately pace their drinking.
* Sets the tone and shows that the establishment cares about their customers.

As a former prosecutor in the Florida State’s Attorney’s Office, I thought the last point was interesting. I had several questions in my own mind after seeing this machine: Does anyone really know when they are impaired ? Would the results from this machine be a valid defense if the patron is later arrested on a DUI or DWI charge ? What if the customer blows into the machine before the alcohol has gotten into her system, and their B.A.C. is on the way up on the way to the car ? What is the margin of error ?

Doug Landau works hard at being the best lawyer for his injured clients and the best Master triathlete

While preparing for several Fall trials in Virginia, New Jersey and Florida, Doug Landau was also finishing up his multi-sport season after strong finishes in several local sprint triathlons. Imagine the TriathlonTrialLawyer’s surprise when he was notified that he was selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers, which is based entirely on peer review. According to the Best Lawyers website:

“For 25 years, the top lawyers in the U.S. have helped make The Best Lawyers In America the leading legal referral guide by candidly evaluating the work of other top lawyers in the same specialties and geographic areas. In large legal communities (such as New York City and Washington, D.C.), lawyers are asked to vote only on lawyers in the same specialty and in the same legal community. In medium-size legal communities (such as Columbia, South Carolina, or San Jose, California), lawyers may be asked about lawyers in related specialties in the same community or in the same specialty across the entire state. In small legal communities (such as Corpus Christi, Texas, or Rapid City, South Dakota), lawyers may be asked about all of the lawyers in the same community across the full range of specialties.

Best Lawyers is published annually. Each year, lawyers in half the states (by population) are called and asked to vote by phone; lawyers in the other half are asked to vote by e-mail or fax. The next year, the process is reversed, so that every voter has an opportunity to vote “in person” every two years. Whether by telephone, e-mail, or fax, we ask voting lawyers the same question, “If you could not handle a case yourself, to whom would you refer it?” Lawyers are asked to give nominees 5-1 numerical grades – 5 for a lawyer the voter would certainly refer a case to, 4 for a lawyer the voter would probably refer a case to, and 3 for a lawyer the voter might hesitate to refer a case to. Lawyers are allowed to give pluses or minuses in order to make their votes more precise. As soon as the selections are finalized, the selected lawyers are checked against state bar association sanction lists to make sure that every lawyer is in good standing with the ethics committee of his or her state bar. Then letters of congratulation are sent to all the listed lawyers.”