Landau Injury Law

Franklin Farms Franklin Farms lawyer Doug Landau helps people injured by foreign manufacturer's products

Concerned about tainted food products and dangerous toys manufactured abroad and without the protections available in this country, Herndon safety lawyer Doug Landau was pleased to receive word that an appellate court in one of the states where he is licensed has also looked at this important issue.  The New Jersey Supreme Court handed down a major victory for consumers injured by products made by foreign manufacturers.  Ruling on an appeal briefed on behalf of the New Jersey Association for Justice, the court held that a foreign company may be held liable in a New Jersey court for defective products sold as part of a national distribution scheme.

The case is important because, Landau points out, it is difficult, and sometimes nearly impossible when a victim is injured be a defective product manufactured in Asia, Europe or elsewhere.  ABRAMS LANDAU has handled cases on behalf of American injured by forein product makers, suppliers and sellers.  The United States Courts have specific requirements for getting “service” over these foreign product suppliers, such that they can be brought into an American court of law.  The decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court will enable state residents and businesses to hold foreign manufacturers responsible for injuries caused by defective products.  According to Law.com, the case is Nicastro v. McIntyre Machinery America Ltd, A-29-08.

With another new driver in the family, Franklin Farms area lawyer Doug Landau had the opportunity to look at some startling numbers.

Car Crash Stats: There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. The financial cost of these crashes is more than 230 Billion dollars. 2.9 million people were injured and 42,636 people killed. About 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States — one death every 13 minutes.

In 2003 there were 6,328,000 car accidents in the US. There were 2.9 million injuries and 42,643 people were killed in auto accidents.

In 2002, there were an estimated 6,316,000 car accidents in the USA. There were about 2.9 million injuries and 42,815 people were killed in auto accidents in 2002.  There were an estimated 6,356,000 car accidents in the US in 2000. There were about 3.2 million injuries and 41,821 people were killed in auto accidents in 2000 based on data collected by the Federal Highway Administration.

Fatal Crash Statistics By Year

Professional plowing help for ABRAMS LANDAU's Doug Landau to get to the Law Shop after the 2010 winter storm

Record setting snowfall in the Washington, D.C. area has lead to closures of the Courts, the workers compensation commissions and even ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd.  During the first snow storm, when cars could not get out of Doug Landau’s neighborhood, the intrepid Triathlon Trial Lawyer ran out to the Fairfax County Parkway and ran behind the Virginia Department of Transportation snow plows all the way to the Landau Law Shop.  The Historic Downtown District of Herndon” looked like a ghost town !

Imagine the seasoned multi-sport athlete and trial lawyer’s surprise when he saw foot prints leading up to and away from the Victorian house on the corner of Station and Center Streets !  Did the weight of the snow push in a window ?  Did looters knock down the door ? Did the 120-year-old house sustain severe storm damage ?  No, it was the tracks of the U. S. Post Office deliveryman dropping off important mail for Landau’s injured and disabled clients.  Inspired by the Federal worker’s exploits, Landau put his sock feet into plastic bags before donning his sneakers, so that his feet wold at least remain dry on the hour long trudge home.  After the snows finally stopped, Landau hired professionals to help him get his xTerra out of the neighborhood so that he could get to the office and continue to help people.

Dulles and Reagan National airport injury lawyer Doug Landau welcomes trains instead of busses on the air operations area

Having represented passengers injured and permanently disabled in midfield terminal busses at International Airports, Dulles area lawyer Doug Landau was pleased to see the new underground trains finally put into service at Dulles International Airport (IAD”).  While the busses were the largest wheel-based vehicles on the planet, they were inherently unstable, and subject to increasing traffic on the Air Operations Area (”AOA”).  Plus, these “teeter-totter” like busses transported over a half a million people each month.  As AOA injury lawyer Landau travels frequently and gets to ride on trains at the Atlanta, Dulles and other major international airports, he has seen how these forms of transport can efficiently and safely transfer the air traveling public.  If you or someone you know has been injured in an airport transfer, transportation,bus, van or train accident, e-mail us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., or call 703-796-9555.

DC and Virginia injury lawyers Jay Wingfield and Doug Landau compare notes at the 2010 AAJ Winter meeting

One of the important advantages Virginia dog injury lawyer Doug Landau has over other lawyers is that he attends national and international meetings of top trial lawyers to learn the latest methods, teach and share strategies.  Most so-called personal injury lawyers are too cheap to attend and unwilling to pen their minds up to new ideas and methods of truly helping injured victims and their families.  It takes time, effort and money to attend, support the programming and teach for the state and national trial bar and speciality organizations.  Reading the law journals simply is not enough these days.  While Landau actually goes through the Bar Association journals from Florida, New Jersey, Virginia, Fairfax and the District of Columbia, getting additional information online and especially in person is critical to staying current with trends in the law and medicine.  ABRAMS LANDAU has been a long-time sponsor of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Annual convention, and has taught on numerous state and national Continuing Legal Education programs.  If you would like to see Fairfax, Loudon and Leesburg injury lawyer Doug Landau  “in action,” teaching, trying cases  or racing, please e-mail us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., or call 703-796-9555 today.

Abrams Landau herndon high school intern Alex helping with the filing at the Law Shop

ABRAMS LANDAU has been assisted by a Herndon High School Intern this Winter.  While Dianna, Beatrice, Shawn, Kristin, Melissa, Pat Doug & Co. will continue with their regular duties at the Herndon Reson area law firm, an additional set of hands in the afternoons enable the Law Shop team to stay on top of our cases despite the record-breaking winter weather.  Alex has been helping us with the phones, computers and filing.  When you speak to her, please encourage her good work and with her luck in next month’s high school step dance competition !

According to homeowners who have retained my friend Ervin Gonzalez, Chinese-made drywall is ruining their homes.  Gonzalez has filed a class action lawsuit on their behalf.

Consumer Product Safety Commission (”CPSC”) officials are looking into claims that Chinese-made drywall installed in some Florida homes is emitting smelly, corrosive gases and ruining household systems such as air conditioners.  Furthermore, gas emitted from defective drywall corrodes copper wiring, turning it black, according to some Florida homeowners.
The Florida Health Department, which is investigating whether the drywall poses any health risks, said it has received more than 140 homeowner complaints. And class-action lawsuits allege defective drywall has caused problems in at least three states — Florida, Louisiana and Alabama — while some attorneys involved claim such drywall may have been used in tens of thousands of U.S. homes.  Homeowners’ lawsuits contend the drywall has caused them to suffer health problems such as headaches and sore throats and face huge repair expenses according to CNN news reports.

The drywall is alleged to have high levels of sulfur and, according to homeowners’ complaints, the sulfur-based gases smell of rotten eggs and corrode piping and wiring, causing electronics and appliances to fail.  “It’s economically devastating, and it’s emotionally devastating,” said Florida attorney Ervin Gonzalez,  who filed one of the lawsuits. It would cost a third of an affected home’s value to fix the dwelling, Gonzalez said.  “The interior has to be gutted, the homeowners have to continue paying mortgages, and they have to pay for a [temporary] place to live,” Gonzalez said.

The Florida complaints generally involve homes built or renovated in 2005 and 2006, when a building boom and post-hurricane reconstruction caused a U.S. drywall shortage that spurred builders to turn to imports.  The allegations come after a number of recent safety problems with other Chinese exports, ranging from toys to pet food.

ABRAMS LANDAU's main building undergoing renovations with "green" Hardy Plank in Herndon Virginia, with both decks on the back of the Law Shop shown

While most clients are familiar with the friendly front of the ABRAMS LANDAU home in the downtown historic district of Herndon, some have asked about the back of our main building.  On the ground level, we have an enclosure for bicycles, as we have clients who have cycled to meet with bike crash injury lawyer Doug Landau ! We also have bikers who park their bikes with us while attending the popular “Friday Night Live” concerts or other events in the Town of Herndon.  Then we have a porch on the main level off of the main conference room.  Above this, the Landau Law Shop has a balcony with views of the Herndon Town Green, the W&OD Trail, the Fortnightly Library and the Municipal Center, where many clients and staff parked this winter, as it is covered, cared for by the town plows, used by the police and free of charge !

Doug Landau has seen clients injured from crashes caused by "distracted drivers." Lawyer Landau's advice, "Just don't DUIT" ("Drive Under the Influence of Technology" (texting, tweeting,using Blackberry, etc.)

Herndon auto safety lawyer Doug Landau applauds AAA’s efforts to eliminate “distracted driving” and texting while driving.  This “driving under the influence of technology” or “DUIT” as Landau calls it, has proven deadly on our roads.  “Just don’t DUIT” warns Landau, as you can cause accidents, injuries and be prosecuted. AAA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety are launching new legislative and communications campaigns to reduce distracted driving and improve safety on our roadways. AAA announced that the motor club will work to pass laws banning text messaging by drivers in all 50 states by 2013, citing strong public support for the laws, the danger of distracted driving, and new research by the Automobile Club of Southern California showing the impact of California’s texting ban. “The new technologies that help us multitask in our everyday lives and increasingly popular social media sites present a hard-to-resist challenge to the typically safe driver,” said AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet. “Enacting texting bans for drivers in all 50 states can halt the spread of this dangerous practice among motorists nationwide, and is a key legislative priority for AAA in state capitols.”

Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have laws that address text messaging by all drivers. Two more states have laws that prohibit teens or other new drivers from texting while driving. Laws differ across the states and some have significant shortcomings, according to AAA.  “AAA will lobby nationwide to pass laws in states that lack them and improve existing laws against texting while driving,” said Darbelnet. “We’ll also continue our work through public education, driver training, and other safety programs to discourage motorists from engaging in the broad range of other distractions that tempt them while behind the wheel.”  Recent high-profile texting crashes and a provocative (more…)

“While there are caps on damages that a disabled victim can receive in many jurisdictions, there are no limits to how much money an expert witness can make,” according to Loudoun and Fairfax injury lawyer Doug Landau of ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd.  In today’s Washington Post there is an interesting article about what, caused a 4-month-old’s brain hemorrhage.  According to the Post, the debate over whether “shaken baby syndrome” exists has erupted into a national battle of the experts. According to the newspaper, in the story “Shaken baby syndrome itself is put on trial in Fairfax court:”

Georgetown University neurosurgeon Ronald Uscinski said brain scans showed that the infant’s bleeding continued long after he had been hospitalized, when no trauma was occurring, and “this condition was not caused by shaking.”   Uscinski said he had testified more than 100 times in shaken baby cases, always for the defense. “I’ve never been contacted by the prosecution,” he said. Last year, he estimated he made about $200,000 in testifying and consulting fees. He said there were numerous explanations for bleeding in an infant’s brain that were unrelated to shaking, especially with no marks or trauma on a child’s neck, arms or body.

This money is in addition to his practice at Georgetown, and any earnings he may have for lecturing, writing, teaching, etc.  There are other doctors in the DC metro area who make six-figure income just from their court testimony and preparation.  So, “if you do not think this is an important part of a physician’s income, you are sorely mistaken,” adds experienced personal injury and workers compensation lawyer Doug Landau.