The Athlete's Lawyer

The Annual Goblin Gallop at Fairfax Corner feature a fast field, with Masters road runners showing late season running speed in this popular race.  Linda Foley, Steve Robinson and Neal Reimenschneider  (shown here with Herndon injury lawyer Doug Landau).  Reimenschneider was the co-director of the hugely popular Winchester Triathlon and he still puts on and covers a number of events in the Shenandoah Valley area while still racing at a high competitive level.  Both Reimenschneider and Landau copped Age Group Awards.  The Goblin Gallop 5km raises funds for the non-profit John Quadrino Foundation, which helps families fighting childhood cancer.  The Foundation responds to grant requests made by health care professionals on behalf of patients’ families.

"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

Jurors heard arguments this week in a case that questions the safety of aluminum baseball bats, the Helena Independent newspaper reports. The lawsuit stems from the 2003 death of a Miles City Mavericks baseball player who was struck in the head by a ball hit with an aluminum bat manufactured by Louisville Slugger. The advantage of the aluminum bats is that they do not warp, splinter or break like wooden bats, though some contend they are more dangerous if thrown and when they strike a baseball. Prince William baseball injury lawyer Doug Landau notes that while the aluminum bats may avoid the cold weather “stinging hands” that he encountered in little league, the aluminum bats seem to send the balls at tremendous speeds back at the pitcher or toward other infielders who may not have the necessary reaction time to avoid danger and permanent injury. These baseballs hit at the athletes’ heads could prove fatal, as was the case here.

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 Read the rest of this entry »

“The biggest loser” is not a television reality show, but the American health care system.USA today is reporting that costs have doubled in a decade, as a direct result of weight gain in Americans.

“As Congress searches for ways to control health care costs, a new report provides a sizable target: obesity. Americans who are 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight cost the country an estimated $147 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2008, double the amount a decade ago, according to a study by government scientists and the non-profit research group RTI International.

Obesity now accounts for 9.1% of all medical spending, up from 6.5% in 1998. Overall, an obese patient has $4,871 in medical bills a year compared with $3,442 for a patient at a healthy weight.”

Can you believe it? Unfortunately these facts are not surprising. Americans are the most obese people in the world, and each year the increase in obesity is horrific… see USA TODAY

But now we know that not only are we hurting our health and shortening our lives, we are also forcing health care costs to skyrocket.

Everyone has his or her own opinion on how to solve the health care crisis. But could it be as simple as choosing an apple over the curly fries? Lets try and find out. Picture courtesy of www.topnews.in/health/

Doug Landau, Beach Sand Sprint winner !

Training barefoot has its advantages. In addition to “toughening” one’s feet, Doug Landau feels that running without fancy, padded sneakers allows athletes to strengthen the small muscles and tendons of the feet and ankles. Some sports scientists even liken Americans’ wearing of shoes from infancy to having their feet “casted,” leading to disuse of these anatomical structures, atrophy and future injury. Many top runners and Olympic medalists started their lives walking (and running) everywhere in bare feet.

After competing in the Playa del Rey Aquathon, Doug Landau did an “encore” and lined up to race in the one mile sand sprint. The Triathlon Trial Lawyer felt confident as to his abilities barefoot and on sand. But, when the race director announced that there would be obstacles that the runners would have to go over and under, and push ups at the end, the Herndon and Reston area sports injury lawyer realized he had his work cut out for him ! While Landau accidently went under the “over” obstacles, he went back and re-did them quickly enough to win the race, to the amusement and enjoyment of his family. Rumors as to Landau’s racing barefoot in several East Coast multi sport events are true, but he only pulls this stunt when the race is on grass, sand or he gives his shoes to another competitor !  Be advised, Lawyer Landau ALWAYS wears shoes to Court.

Swimming in the Pacific at Playa del Rey was LEGAL!

Swimming in the Pacific Ocean is a treat, and TriathlonTrialLawyer Doug Landau got to participate with his family on the West Coast at Playa del Rey, California. Competing in the Aquathon, Landau saw dolphins gliding effortlessly through the waves that buffeted the wetsuit-clad racers. While the swim was tough and Landau’s time was slow, he managed a good run (20:40 for 3 miles) on the flat, hot out-and-back course. Landau was thrilled to cheer on his wife, who also competed in the Swim-Run event, as well as his middle daughter and budding journalist, who ran in the “Playa del Run” 5km and won family bragging rights.  The eldest Landau daughter took pictures and ran all during the charitable beachside events that raised money for the “Heal the Bay” program.