The Athlete's Lawyer

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.

Brain Injury Services (“BIS“) running races Sunday increased participation and money raised this year.  Herndon Virginia Lawyer Doug Landau received word (and thanks) from the Director  for helping to make the Kit Callahan’s Miracle Mile a success for BIS.  There were close to 500 participants at the event this year.   Runners, sponsors like ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. raised approximately $33,000.  Doug Landau served on the race committee and handed out hundreds of race flyers for the events at the Fairfax Virginia campus of George Mason University.  Members of the Landau Law Shop hope to be back next year to make these athletic and educational events even better !

Doug Landau, who was declared the Masters Champion of the inaugural Warrenton Virginia Sprint Triathlon, and Colorado triathlete John Brannock, after the race

Rarely are the results re-done after the day of the race.  However, the Virginia Triathlon Series published final results from Sunday’s inaugural Warrenton Sprint Triathlon.  Several athletes were not just penalized under the USAT Rules, but disqualified.  After posting 5 km running splits of 13 – 15 minutes on a difficult course, it became clear to officials that some triathletes had only done one lap of the 2-loop run course.  With the corrected results, ABRAMS LANDAU‘s Doug Landau became the winner of not only his age group, but also the Masters competition champion.  However, this was not the only winning verdict this day…

In the Landau Law Shop‘s jury trial in Alexandria, Virginia, the civil jury returned with a verdict of $182,000 plus pre-judgment interest from the date the personal injury lawsuit was filed after 4 hours of deliberations at the King Street Court House.  This was also a “correction,” as Landau’s client had been badly injured as the result of a 2 car crash while she was simply the innocent passenger, and yet the 3 insurance company lawyers made NO OFFERS to settle the case since November, when the case was filed.

Biker AND bicycle safety lawyer Doug Landau in Old Town Alexandria (VA)

Bike racks do not have to be ugly metal masses in our city centers.  Rather, the places to secure one’s bicycle can be artistic, and even be incorporated into the overall look of the town.  While arguing Pre- Trial motions at the Courthouse in Old Town Alexandria, bike crash injury lawyer Doug Landau noticed the bike racks along King Street in front of the Courthouse Plaza – the original home of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd.  Art and function in the same unit !  Landau salutes the Alexandria City planners, architects and artists.

Recumbent bikes can be good for those with back injuries or spine issues

Hampered by back injuries, lumbar pain or degenerative disc disease, many avid bikers have left the sport because of the discomfort caused by road bikes and drop style handlebars.  However, a solution may be to change the riding style by chaining the bicycle, according to bike injury lawyer Doug Landau.  Taking the pressure off the spine may be “just what the doctor ordered” notes the former Applied Anatomy and Physiology grad student and member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

“Anyone who has spent any time on the W&OD, Mount Vernon, Four Mile Run or other Northern Virginia bike trail has seen all manner of recumbent and “non-traditional” bikes,”  adds the back and spine injury lawyer.  “One client was crushed by a negligent motorist, and was up and riding within days.  This bike crash injury victim adapted a recumbent bike to his needs, complete with a holder for his cane and a bag for his supplies.  By continuing to exercise in a non-impact sport, this Reston area personal injury plaintiff was able to hasten his physical recovery from his crash injuries.” If you are interested in Recumbent Bicycles, check out “Recumbent & Tandem Rider” magazine.

If you, or someone you know, has back pain or spine issues that is forcing them off the bike, consult with a sports medicine doctor to see if recumbent cycling is an appropriate alternate form of exercise.  Injured athletes’ lawyer Doug Landau of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. incorporates stationary recumbent cycling in his training program year round, and finds it is an excellent way to read through his “third class mail, journals, magazines and watch sports on television !”

Drs. Thomas Fleeter and Dennis Sager provide superb experienced medical support at the Reston Triathlon

Long time Reston Doctors Tom Fleeter and Dennis Sager have contributed generously of their time, effort and resources to the Reston Triathlon.  Fleeter could be seen Saturday erecting tents and has previously been out on Lake Audubon with his son as a swim safety volunteer.  Sager, an FAA Inspection doctor, has been a perennial presence under the medical tent at the South Lakes High School finish line area.  Sager grew up and was friends with Mrs. Landau’s family in Richmond, Virginia.  Dr. Sager graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (“MIT”) as an Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineer and is an exceptional internal medicine specialist.  Before athletes lawyer Doug Landau departed the United States to compete on the US Maccabiah Triathlon Team, he had his physical performed by Dr.  Sager.

Dr. Fleeter, of Town Center Orthopedics in Reston, is the team physician for South Lakes High School and served as the medical director of the Women’s World Figure Skating Championship and the Reston Triathlon.  He is also an orthopaedic consultant to the United States Figure Skating Association.  And, as one who not just “talks the talk,” but also “walks the walk,” Fleeter is a strong cyclist who has participated in the Reston Century and knows routes through Northern Virginia that only a true lifetime cyclist would know.  Dr. Fleeter and his Town Center Orthopedic partners have operated on and helped a number of ABRAMS LANDAU clients who have been injured in motor vehicle crashes, sports and on the job accidents.

Doug Landau and the other participants in the Reston Triathlon are lucky to have such outstanding, board certified specialists at this local multisport race.  Thank you Dr. Fleeter and Dr. Sager.

Reston Triathlon Age Group Award Winner Doug Landau after changing into warm, dry clothes !

Injured athletes come back and finish strong at the Reston Triathlon.  A team of three ABRAMS LANDAU clients and Triathlon Trial Lawyer Doug Landau would have given other teams in the popular Reston multipart event this past weekend a run for their money !  With Henry Tragle, Rob Urbach, Bill Coquelin putting in solid efforts, the Herndon Law Shop‘s clients demonstrated that hard work, perseverance and pre-accident conditioning can help an athlete recover from broken bones, lacerations and other car crash injuries.  With three age group awards and several top 20 finishes, these clients support sports injury lawyer Doug Landau’s assertions that endurance athletes can achieve good recovery from car accidents, bike crashes and disabling sports injuries.  The staff at the ABRAMS LANDAU is proud of these clients’ accomplishments, as well as those clients who continue to participate in non-competitive events such as bicycle centuries, fun runs and charity walks.

Looking for his triathlon race number and singlet, trial lawyer Doug Landau loses precious time in transition

Having no race number can cause an athlete’s disqualification.  Doug Landau had carefully pinned his race number to his singlet the night before, and had brought it to Lake Audubon to put on after the Reston Triathlon swim.  However, when he emerged from the water and removed his wetsuit, it was nowhere to be seen.

With his bike number on his shorts, a quick gulp and out Doug Landau goes past volunteer Kevin Baldwin to run down the competition at the 2010 Reston Triathlon

Since the numbers on his arms, legs, helmet and bike and the computer chip on his ankle would suffice for the next hour, Landau hoped that his shirt and number was inadvertently left at the second transition, when he got off the bike and began the 10 km  run at South Lakes High School.  When he dashed into the transition area, he was dismayed to see no shirt and no number.

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”  So the saying goes.  Looking around his transition spot, the injured athletes’ lawyer had an idea.  Landau Read the rest of this entry »

Bike crash injury lawyer and Race Volunteer Doug Landau registering one of the Fairfax County Police Officers participating in the 2010 Reston Triathlon

The victim of the bike crash Sunday at Ridge Heights Road near the Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School was released from the INOVA Fairfax Hospital this afternoon.  The triathlete sustained multiple injuries in the incident described in a prior post when a car came from a side street during the 26th annual Reston Triathlon.

The experienced multi-sport athlete was grateful for those who came to his immediate aid and for the speed with which the Fairfax County Police, Fire and Ambulance were on the scene.  Excellent training by Fairfax first responders and law enforcement enabled the injured South Riding athlete to be taken to the emergency room quickly.